Each year as the fifth of May approaches, eateries and bars across the U.S. flood their feeds with margarita specials and taco nights—even when the restaurant isn’t necessarily Mexican. But Cinco de Mayo is more than just an excuse to drink tequila. The holiday commemorates Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

“I think it’s celebrated more in the U.S. than in Mexico,” says Roberto Alcocer, chef of Valle in Oceanside, California. Born in Mexico City and raised in Ensenada, Baja, Alcocer acknowledges that some Mexicans “feel offended” by the stateside celebrations “as cultural appropriation,” but he prefers to take the opportunity to share the story behind the food and why it matters.

That starts with spotlighting the regionality of Mexican cuisine. Cinco de Mayo marks a battle won in Puebla—so if you’re cooking in honor of the day, Alcocer insists, “It must be traditional Poblano food.” Of his 25 years cooking across Mexico and in fine dining establishments in France and Spain, six of those years were spent living and working in Puebla. While his Michelin-starred Valle—the first and only starred restaurant in Oceanside—focuses on Baja-inspired cuisine through a seasonal eight-course tasting menu, Alcocer uses Cinco de Mayo to turn the spotlight east, to a region where dishes emphasize indigenous ingredients over Baja’s seafood-driven style.

This year, he shares a three-course menu inspired by Puebla: dishes that are deeply traditional, yet rooted in the street food he still seeks out on frequent trips to the region. “Anyone willing to discover more of the richness of Mexico,” he says, should give this menu a try—and pair it with a Mexican wine from Baja. Valle boasts one of the most extensive Mexican wine lists in the country, highlighting top producers like Monte Xanic, Casa Madero, and Montefiori.