Crossing the border with Marcela Valladolid
By Kristine M. Kierzek, Special to the Journal Sentinel June 19, 2012
"If Marcela Valladolid accomplishes her mission, the world will be eating real Mexican fare. Think healthy, fresh and easy. No tacos from a kit here.
Born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, Valladolid, 33, started teaching in her aunt's cooking school in Baja. Her first students just wanted
to learn to cook dinner for their husbands. That experience, combined with a life balanced between America and Mexico, influenced her approach to
hosting her own cooking show.
She studied at the Los Angeles Culinary Institute and the Ritz Escoffier School in Paris before working at Bon Appétit magazine. That classic
training, combined with growing up along the border, influences everything about her cooking.
Now in her fifth season hosting "Mexican Made Easy" on Food Network, Valladolid has hit her stride. She's changed production companies, giving her a
bigger sense of control.
Valladolid's brand is getting bigger, too. Along with her brother, she's invested in her own label of tequila, Hacienda de la Flor. Look for her
imprint on a new line of serveware to be introduced by Prima Design next year. Her second cookbook, "Mexican Made Easy" ($27.50, Clarkson Potter) was
published last fall.
Newly remarried to Fausto Gallardo, Valladolid has one son, Fausto, 8, and splits her time between San Diego and Tijuana. She regularly interacts with
Facebook followers, and you'll find her recipes and more at chefmarcela.com.
Q.You're in the fifth season of "Mexican Made Easy." What's the challenge at this point?
A. Well, honestly, there wasn't that much of a challenge because it was more exciting than anything else. We switched production companies, and we
changed what we wanted to change. It was almost like a new beginning. We even debated whether we should change the name of the show, but I really
believe in "Mexican Made Easy," and obviously that's my style of cooking. We decided we'd show a lot more of my life and where those recipes come
from. I think, if anything, the challenge for me was how much of your life do you want to show? The choice for me was my son, and does it make his
life uncomfortable?
Q.Our phone interview got cut off while you were waiting to cross the border. How often do you make that crossing?
A. Very often, and I talk about it often because I think the fact that I was born and raised on the border has shaped my whole career. My dad owns a
home down there. I own a home in Tijuana, Mexico. There's an international border, which sounds like a huge deal, but for those of us who live here
it's a 20-minute commute, and I have a fast pass. For me, it's like once a week. And I'm not even special, that's just the way of life in San Diego.
Q. Your first language is Spanish, but you create recipes in English?
A. I grew up speaking both, the same amount of hours. For me, recipe writing has been more in English only because I did culinary school and my first
job writing recipes was for Bon Appétit. I write that way still. Everybody has their own language. Mine just kind of stayed the same as the Bon
Appétit language, which is in English. I spoke at the Tijuana Book Fair (recently), and it was one of the first times I did that in Spanish. I was
like, wow, this is so much more comfortable. So when I'm expressing my feelings I do better in Spanish. When it comes to recipes, I'm comfortable in
English.
Q. Your Spanish-language cooking show, "Relatos con Sabor," garnered viewers in Mexico, Central and South America. How does that compare to the
audience you reach on Food Network?
A. It is different. Honestly, I don't know the numbers. . . . But I'm pretty sure I'm totally speaking to a different audience. With "Relatos con
Sabor," we could be a lot more traditional in terms of recipes. You could cook with ingredients you could only find there (in Latin America). When I'm
cooking for Food Network, we literally call stores across the country to make sure you can find ingredients.
Q.You've said Tijuana is misunderstood, and Rick Bayless recently raved about its food culture. What is the perception vs. reality?
A. It fills my heart with pride and joy that international food writers and press have taken an interest in Tijuana. The misconceptions are slowly
changing. . . . Even the folks on my team said, "How many seasons can you do on Mexican food?" Are you kidding? It's not even the tip of the iceberg!
I think the misconceptions revolved around a few ingredients, but we're one of the most bio-diverse areas of the world. And in terms of Tijuana, . . .
I've lived there for 30 years, and I'm considering moving back there because I own a home there. I know people who have been a part of the violence. I
saw it, I understand the fear. I'm not blind to the fact that we're a border town. I'm very aware, but I'd be lying if I said I was afraid. It has
gotten so much better in the past few years. I go there very often; my dad has lived there for 60 years without incident. . . . Anthony Bourdain was
here. Andrew Zimmern was here. I can name the establishments and the people. I grew up with their families. To see that happening is so exciting.
People are seeing that Tijuana has some of the best cuisine in all of Mexico.
Q. Can you communicate more about a community through its food?
A. There's no better way to do that than with food. . . . The ingredients are so fresh. We've got wonderful wine, wonderful olives. Some of the best
olive oils I've ever tasted come from Baja.
Q. You're creating your own line of dinnerware?
A. You'll see wood bowls, platters and stuff. The whole line has my stamp on it in terms of what I like creatively, and it looks Mexican but it isn't
something you'd use only on Cinco de Mayo. You can absolutely use it for any entertaining situation. Kind of like my food.
Q.What food can't you live without?
A. Tortillas and chipotles. My life revolves around chipotles. Quesadillas, those are my comfort food.
Q.Anything we'll never find in your kitchen?
A. Cumin. Cannot deal with cumin. We are not friends. Precooked chicken. I saw that in my sister's fridge a few weeks ago, and I gave her such a hard
time, she'll never do that again! Honestly, if you open my fridge it looks like a vegetable garden. If it is processed, it's organic. I grew up with a
lot of processed. We grew up with really traditional Mexican, and then the next day we'd have Hamburger Helper. But I am obsessed. No dyes, no
processed. That's inside my house. Outside, if you want to have a soda, you can do it. But in my refrigerator and pantry it's very clean.
Q.You mention a husband. Is that new?
A. That's new, brand new. Actually, we got divorced and got back together. You're the first person that's asked. Very exciting. My husband and son are
both named Fausto."
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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