Bats, Birds and Agave
Sunday, November 8, 2026 | 5–8 pm
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2026-11-08 17:00:00
2026-11-08 20:00:00
L.A. Culture in a Cup: Bats, Birds, and Agave | Nov 8
Mirate - Restaurant and Bar
nhmla
webmaster@nhm.org
America/Los_Angeles
public
Date
Sunday, November 8, 2026 | 5–8 pm
Location
Mirate - Restaurant and Bar
Tickets
$75
Tax and $3 Resy processing fee not included in ticket price.
Join us on Sunday, November 8 from 5 to 8 pm as the Mírate team welcomes the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County to their site as part of the museum’s L.A. Culture in a Cup initiative, a series that explores the culinary traditions behind the beverages that tell the story of Los Angeles.
The highlight of the evening is a live panel at 6 pm, where speakers will explore the ecosystem connections that sustain ancestral ingredients, including the crucial role bats and birds play as migratory pollinators and seed dispersers in the agave world. A Q+A will follow.
Panelists include Chef Alan Sanz and Beverage Director Max Reis of Mírate; Dr. Allison Shultz, Associate Curator of Ornithology at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County; and Dr. Rachel Blakey, Assistant Professor of Global Change Biology at Cal Poly Pomona. The panel will be moderated by Miguel Ordeñana, Senior Manager of Community Science at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County.
During the evening, guests can enjoy food and drink pairings themed to the discussion and explore taxidermy from the museum collection, while learning how thoughtful consumption helps preserve native biodiversity.
Meet the Panel
Robert Campbell
Max Reis is the Beverage Director at Mirate. A native of Napa, California, Max was surrounded by wine and beverage culture from a young age. After moving to L.A. for art school and touring as a musician, he officially began bartending at 21. His passion led him to become a certified sommelier and brew his own beer. Max honed his skills at République and later served as beverage director at Gracias Madre, where he built the second-largest mezcal collection in the U.S. and championed ethical, additive-free Mexican spirits. At Mírate, Daisy Margarita Bar, and Gilbert Perez Bar, he continues this mission by sourcing small-batch mezcal and ancestral spirits. As an industry pioneer, Reis pushes cocktail boundaries by pairing modern technology with pre-Hispanic ingredients, flavor profiles, and techniques to establish new standards for award-winning beverage programs.
Alan Sanz is Executive Chef of Mírate in Los Feliz and Daisy Margarita Bar in Sherman Oaks. Born and raised in Mexico City, Chef Alan earned his degree in Culinary & Pastry Arts from the Instituto Superior Mariano Moreno in Buenos Aires in 2013. Chef Alan honed his skills at renowned restaurants worldwide, including Pujol, Boragó, Mugaritz, and Epicure. He went on to lead culinary programs at Parcela CDMX, Hotel Boutique Los Amantes, and PAN:AM in Oaxaca. Moving to California, he led operations at Maizano, Porch & Swing, and the Michelin-recognized Gracias Madre in West Hollywood and Newport Beach, joining Mírate in early 2025. His contemporary Mexican cooking combines seasonal, ethically sourced ingredients with European techniques, inspired by his Oaxacan heritage, Argentinean experience, and French culinary background. Through every dish, Chef Alan emphasizes mentorship, collaboration, and cultural storytelling.
Dr. Rachel Blakey
Dr. Rachel Blakely is Assistant Professor of Global Change Biology, Biological Sciences College of Science, Cal Poly Pomona. As an ecologist, she researches how global change drivers, like fire, urbanization and agriculture, influence vertebrate animal behavior. She uses this knowledge to work with natural resource partners to improve the way we conserve and coexist with wildlife. She has worked on several global collaborations investigating the impact of fire, drought, and climate change on bat communities, as well as the impacts of human disturbance (particularly urbanization and human recreation) on mammals.
Allison Talens (nee Shultz) is the Associate Curator of Ornithology at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. Allison has taken over as Program Director of Project Phoenix for the 2026 season. Allison has loved animals her whole life, and fell in love with birds during her undergraduate at UC Berkeley. Allison’s lab is dedicated to understanding the evolution of bird diversity, focusing on two major areas: how birds are responding to human-caused environmental changes, and how and why bird colors evolve. In addition to research, Allison is passionate about inspiring a love of nature in her community and beyond.
Miguel Ordeñana
Miguel Ordeñana is an environmental educator and wildlife biologist. As the Senior Manager of Community Science at NHMLA, Miguel promotes and creates community science projects, and recruits and trains participants. Miguel utilizes his mammal research background by conducting urban mammal research in L.A. and leads NHMLAC’s Southern California Squirrel Survey and Backyard Bat Survey. Miguel serves as an advisor on a jaguar project in southwestern Nicaragua that he initiated in 2012 as well as a Board Member for the Friends of Griffith Park and National Wildlife Federation. Notably, Miguel discovered the first photo of P-22, the famous Griffith Park mountain lion, through a grassroots camera trap study called the Griffith Park Connectivity Study in 2012. Miguel is dedicated towards making science and access to nature more equitable with a goal of increasing the representation and retention of underrepresented communities within the environmental field.
