Finishing School in Guadalajara: Breadcrumb Flowers and Cooking
Mexican Wedding Cookies (Polvorones de Nuez), Savory Corn Bread (Torta de Elote) Prompted by my upcoming trip to Guadalajara where I’ll be revisiting old haunts and seeing my university mates, I started thinking how I got to Guadalajara from El Paso, Texas, in...
A Heartfelt Tribute to a Much-Loved Friend: Alex Baker
If a Nordic God were to appear to me he would look like Alex Baker. He’d be tall and lean but muscular with well-developed thighs from years of running and he’d smell of green apples. I often thought if only he weren’t gay and a heartbreaker! I had a mad crush on him...
Fruit Ades (La Samaritana Serves Aguas Frescas)
My mother had a strict rule at the ranch: We were allowed to have Coca-Cola only once a week, a small bottle every Sunday. The rest of the week she would make delicious refreshing agues frescas (fruit ades) of whatever fruit was available. Dried tamarind and hibiscus...
Jamie Gillis Remembered on the 12th Anniversary of His Death
I’ve been working on Taking Orders, my memoir, for years and it is still a work in progress. I share with you this unedited draft on the 12th anniversary of Jamie’s death. Jamie Gillis Don’t cut what you can untie Don’t practice disaster. My first meal as...
A Valentine’s Thought: The Red Room
Every Valentine’s Day, I like to personally write a note to each of my friends to thank them for making me part of their lives and being there for me throughout the year. Though I closed my restaurant ZARELA after 23+ years of business...
The many lives of Zarela Martínez
Culinary legend Zarela Martínez introduced finely tuned, highly researched regional Mexican cuisine to a national stage, and has continued to blaze trails for more than three decades.