Zarela Martinez Bio

Photograph by Laurie Smith

Born in the Sonoran border town of Agua Prieta, Zarela Martinez is a renowned cultural interpreter between Mexico and the United States through the medium of food.  Her achievements as a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, food television host, and product developer and merchandiser place her as a pioneering woman in the world of the multiplatform food personality. Harvard/Radcliffe recognized her  contributions by acquiring her papers for the Schlesinger Library, where they reside along with those of other trailblazers such as Amelia Earhart, Julia Child, Elizabeth David,  and Helen Keller, a truly remarkable feat for an Hispanic woman.
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For 23 years her eponymous “Zarela” set standards of authenticity among New York Mexican restaurants. A sought-after speaker and consultant for major corporations, she also wrote the pioneering cookbooks Food from My Heart (Macmillan 1992), The Food and Life of Oaxaca (Macmillan 1997) and Zarela’s Veracruz (Houghton Mifflin 2001), the last published in conjunction with her public television series ¡Zarela! La Cocina Veracruzana.

Her website www.zarela.com is an invaluable resource for lovers of Mexican food and culture, and her how-to videos on basic Mexican cooking techniques and flavor principles featured on www.youtube.com are fun and informative.

Just launched is a Facebook fan page

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