To say we fan-girled over this week’s guest is an understatement! We interview Marcela Valladolid - chef, television personality, designer, author, businesswoman and ultimate super mama - and she took us to church. She talks about growing up in Tijuana, MX, her book writing process, personal growth, health, and her beautiful family. If you follow Marcela on Instagram, you know she is always unapologetically herself. Her real authentic personality transcends through the microphone throughout this episode and you’ll want to take notes, because her words will encourage you to be unapologetically you, too.
More about Marcela: Marcela Valladolid is an Emmy nominated celebrity chef, television personality, designer, author, mother and businesswoman.
Growing up around expert and traditional cooks in Tijuana, Mexico, Marcela was raised to be passionate about food. She enrolled full time in the Los Angeles Culinary Institute and trained in Paris where she graduated as a classically trained pastry chef at the Ritz-Escoffier Cooking School.
Marcela began her professional career as a Food Editor for Bon Appetite Magazine. Her first television show was "Relatos Con Sabor" for Discovery en Español and she published her first book, "Fresh Mexico", in 2009.
She hosted her second show, "Mexican Made Easy", for the Food Network in 2010 and released a companion book, "Mexican Made Easy", in 2011.
Marcela was a co-host on the three-time Emmy Nominated Food Network hit show "The Kitchen." She has also appeared as a Celebrity judge for 3 seasons on the Food Network show "Best Baker in America" and was the Host of the Food Network's "Holiday Gingerbread Showdown" which aired December 2018.
She is currently co-hosting the "Marcela & Carina Show" a virtual live cooking class & entertainment show with her sister and motivational speaker Carina Valladolid, which was recently mentioned in the NY Times.
She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, NY Times, People Magazine, Food & Wine Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, NY Daily News, Better Homes & Garden, and has appeared on national TV shows such as Today Show, The Talk, The Chew, The View, Access Hollywood Live, The Rachael Ray Show, Live! with Kelly and Michael, AOL Build, Yahoo News and more.
Marcela has done partnerships and promotional events with companies such as Capital One, Google, Herdez, Northgate, Target, Bank of America and Estee Lauder to name a few. Marcela also had a branded line of food products in partnership with Safeway. She was the only celebrity to have had her own branded food line sold exclusively nationwide at Safeway/Vons/Pavilion's.
Marcela started a partnership with This Is Latin America in January 2021 that includes a line of curated products by Casa Marcela.
She released her 3rd book, CASA MARCELA, in April 2017 and her 4th book, "Fiestas; Tidbits, Margaritas & More," in April 2019, both listed as national best sellers. She just released her 5th book , “Cocinando on Cook Street”, a children's book in partnership with Latina-led publishing house, Lil Libros.
Marcela resides in Chula Vista, CA with her partner Philip Button and their three children (Fausto, David and Anna Carina) and their dog, Kongo.
Our conversation with Marcela
Who is Marcela?
The book writing process
Whats App - the Mexican Way
“Her dad is the OG instagram feed” - Paulina about Patty’s father
Growing up in Tijuana
Marcela’s mom
“My mom taught us the only way to find your happiness is to be authentic to yourselves.” - Marcela
“‘Que van a decir la gente?’ You hear it your whole life.” - Marcela, on the biggest lesson she learned from her mother
La generación de cristal
“I carry a lot of guilt because I’m a working mom.” - Marcela
The parental balance in the household
Marcela’s personal growth
Yoga & being sober
“Your energy is just so ever flowing.” - Bricia to Marcela about her personal growth
Seeking therapy
Maintaining emotional health
“I can be going through a really rough moment and that it’s going to pass and I’m going to coexist in this moment and go on with other things in my life.” - Marcela
Pick or Tip of the Week
Bricia’s pick is Sneakerella on Disney+. It’s basically Cinderella but a dude with sneakers, and Eddie loves it. The music, singing and dancing is great! It’s a great pick for kids since they’re going to be spending more time at home now that it’s summer vacation.
Paulina’s tip is actually a tip from Patty Rodriguez that they picked up during their short trip to Texas. When it’s really hot out and you’re wearing a hat, grab a few small ice cubes and stick them in the seam of your hat. It’s great for sport days, summer camp, traveling - whenever you’ll be outside and need to cool off.
Links
Follow Marcela on Instagram - @chefmarcela
You can get her new book, Cocinando on Cook Street: A collection of mi familia’s recipes on Amazon
