From Publishers Weekly
The author, proprietor of the Zarela restaurant in New York City, promises "a memoir, a guide to Mexican culinary basics, and a personal recipe collection, all interspersed with glimpse-by-glimpse evocations of Mexican life and culture." She keeps the promise. Recipes and techniques are here in abundance, yet the book is truly for those who always wished that culinary introductions, notes and sidelights on appreciation would never end. Martinez delivers both personal reminiscence and cultural insight with the taste and candor of an experienced hostess--a memoir of a family servant nestles up with a fiercely patriotic sidebar on the "Manana Syndrome." Raised among Sonora's ranching aristocracy ("By the time I was 14 I was busting broncos"), she shows how she came to immerse herself in her country's food traditions and--beginning with modest catering projects--soon found herself lionized in New York by the likes of Paul Prudhomme and Craig Claiborne. Her approach is not one of ethnic purity or "authenticity" understood narrowly; she blithely combines traditions from different regions within single recipes, "my own personal process of mestizajesic , synthesis." And, indeed, she attributes the makings of her crab enchilada to a chef for a California restaurant chain.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Martinez is the chef/owner of Zarela's, a popular Manhattan restaurant that was one of the first to serve authentic Mexican food rather than the ubiquitous Tex-Mex tacos and burritos. Part memoir, part cultural history, part cookbook, and as heartfelt as its title indicates, this title is full of delicious recipes, both classic regional specialties and her own creations. Although there may be more than enough nostalgic text for some readers, the story of how a young Mexican woman from a traditional family became a famous New York restaurateur is in fact quite absorbing, and along the way Martinez imparts a lot of information about the foods and cuisine of her country. Recommended for most collections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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