Typically a weekend retreat for the heart, soul and palate, brunch is the perfect way to unwind and reconnect.
Day of the Dead. Sounds a little spooky doesn't it? It's actually one of the most colorful and joyous of Mexican holidays.
One summer, when I was on break from architecture school in Tijuana, my aunt gave me a summer job cleaning up and peeling garlic, and I got to see her in her element. She was so passionate and such a good teacher, I decided to quit architecture school and go to culinary school in Los Angeles.
True success will come when you have the courage to be yourself.
People don't realize that we're spending money throwing food away rather than feeding people.
There is no yellow cheese in Mexico!
I'm not going to focus on the bad days. I choose to live in gratitude.
I love my molcajete, which is a Mexican mortar and pestle. There is no comparison in flavor to when I use a processor.
I didn't realize I was living in a very unique situation until I became a culinary professional. For me, there was nothing out of the ordinary about spending half my day in Mexico, and the other half in California.
I definitely recommend a quality chef's knife.
In an attempt to have access to everything year-round, produce has lost its magic.
I do the best I can to remind my family as often as possible that I love them more than life itself, and to let them know that every step I take is with them in the very front of my mind.
You can invite people over or make your kids their favorite food - that usually inspires me in the kitchen.
There are so many wonderful Mexican cheeses that people really don't consider when making Mexican food, or food in general.
Growing up, I didn't realize how unique it was to live on the border of the United States and Mexico. It wasn't until I started doing interviews with the press that I actually began to appreciate just how cool it was that I would cross the international border every single day from Tijuana into San Diego to go to school.
There's a particular quality that those of us who live on the border share; we can switch from being Mexican to being American in an instant just by scanning our surroundings. Not everybody has this superpower; it takes a very specific kind of upbringing to instill a deep pride in two very different cultures.
My aunt was a chef and she inspired me deeply so she was a huge motivator but more than anything it was a quest for independence and freedom that lead me to an L.A. Culinary School.
I hold both of them with equal amounts of pride. I feel just as strongly and equally Mexican as I do American.
The more kids are involved, the more likely they are to eat the food. Getting them involved gets them excited, and kids are much more likely to try something that they were involved in the process of creating because it gives them a sense of accomplishment - kids always love approval.
My former assistant used to tell me I have a problem with cushions and she was totally right. The reason is because I'm constantly rearranging things in my house. And if I can't move a whole piece of furniture, the easiest thing to rearrange is cushions. I like to keep things fresh.
