Zarela Martinez, cookbook author, chef, and speaker, has been announced as a 2013 inductee to the James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America.
The Who’s Who award is given to writers, editors, author, chefs, individuals who have made unique and significant contributions to the culinary industry. Martinez (and five other inductees) will be honored during the ultra prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony on May 6 in New York City.
“We are delighted to announce and celebrate the new 2013 inductees into this incredibly esteemed group of leaders in our culinary world,” said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “From chefs to journalists, these honorees are truly the best and brightest in American food today. Each has contributed substantially to our constantly evolving culinary and beverage scene.”
Martinez, who was born and raised in a Sonoran border town in Mexico, first started cooking professionally in late 1970s in El Paso, Texas. In 1983, Martinez moved her business to New York, making waves as a menu designer and executive chef of Café Marimba. In 1987, Martinez opened her first restaurant, Zarela, which focused on authentic regional Mexican fare.
Though the restaurant closed in 2011, Martinez remained committed to bringing authentic Mexican cuisine to the United States. She maintains a catering business, teaches cooking classes, and is a speaker on Mexican cuisine and culture. She recently started a program for the Mexican Cultural Institute called Food is Arte. And in April, Martinez plans to debut a one-woman show called Zarela Act 7, a show equal arts inspiration memoir and cooking lessons.
"This is an honor that I would like to share with the people who have helped me get to this point," Martinez said. "My mother is the most important and will always be with me and my children who make me proud. I could not have done it without my wonderful employees, my customers for their support throughout the years, the press who spread the word, and the people who opened their hearts and homes to me and told me their stories and gave me their recipes."
Martinez will be joined by fellow inductees: Eric Asimov, New York Times wine critic and author of How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto; Dorothy Kalins, founder of Saveur and executive editor of Newsweek; Barbara Lynch, chef and owner of B&G Oysters and No. 9 Park in Boston; Michael Mina, chef and owner of two Michelin star rated restaurant Michael Mina; and Bill Yosses, White House executive pastry chef.