The Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management in Syracuse University's College of Human Services and Health Professions will hold the second annual Christy Food and Culture Event when it hosts leading Mexican-American restaurateur Zarela Martinez on Oct. 28. She will present "Mexican Discoveries and Self Discoveries: A Woman Searches for Her Roots and Finds Her Wings," from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Shemin Auditorium, Shaffer Art Building. She will also lead a hands-on cooking workshop for students.
Born and raised in Mexico, Martinez began cooking professionally during the late 1970s in El Paso, Tex., studying with Paul Prudhomme and Craig Claiborne. She later moved to New York City and worked as executive chef for Cafe Marimba before opening her own New York restaurant, Zarela, in 1987.
Her 13-part public television series "Zarela! La Cocina Veracruzana," which introduces viewers to the Mediterranean- and African-accented regional cooking of Veracruz State, airs throughout the country. She is the author of "Zarela's Veracruz" (Houghton Mifflin, 2001), "Food from my Heart" (MacMillan Publishing Co., 1992), and "The Food and Life of Oaxaca" (Wiley, 1997). She runs a catering business, gives Mexican cooking lessons, and has acted as a marketing consultant for such clients as Unilever Best Foods, Nestle, Marriott and Taco Bell.
The Christy Food and Culture Event is made possible by a gift from nutrition alumna Joan Christy '78, G'81, who is a member of the HSHP Board of Visitors.
For more information, contact Kim Johnson at 443-4789 or kejohn04@syr.edu or Karen Gaughan at 443-5670 or kkgaugha@syr.edu.
