Mexican-born Zarela Martinez rewrote the story of Mexican cuisine in the U.S. when she opened her game-changing New York restaurant “Zarela” in 1987. This legendary dining spot replaced culinary stereotypes with brilliant, fearless explorations of regional Mexican specialties embedded in their own distinctive contexts.

Martinez is the author of Food from My Heart), The Food and Life of Oaxaca, and Zarela’s which was also the companion to a 13-part PBS television series.

In 2013 she was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. In the same year Harvard/Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library acquired her unpublished papers, an invaluable documentation of a lifetime dedicated to enlightening food-lovers everywhere about Mexican cuisine and culture.

Together with her son, prizewinning chef Aaron Sanchez, she is now conducting a podcast series for Heritage Radio Network titled “Cooking in Mexican from A to Z,” meant to introduce cooks to the brilliant spectrum of key Mexican ingredients.

Zarela was diagnosed with Parkinson's about a decade ago and we’re going to talk with her about how she’s dealing with the disease and its effect on her life.
Sponsor: www.SeniorCareAuthority.com