Marcela Luz Valladolid – her full name – was born on July 19, 1978 in San Diego, California. She had the knack of being a chef since her childhood. However, her interest to pursue a career in cooking started when she studied cooking techniques in Tijuana, Mexico, where she also grew up, at her aunt’s cooking school. She then attended Los Angeles Culinary Institute and graduated as a ‘certified cook’.

After her graduation, Valladolid moved to France and graduated from Ritz Escoffer Cooking School as a pastry chef, trained in classical style. After her mastery in culinary delights, she moved back to her hometown Tijuana and set up her own company, where she taught her cooking techniques to around 40 children. And with all that in mind, you’d be surprised to learn that her first goal was not necessarily to become a chef but “to change the perception that people had of Mexico, its culture, and its people through food”, as she admits herself. “I think that's why I overshare so much on social media about my family and community. We're good people with beautiful families. And we bring salsa!”. We can only assume that through her cooking she has achieved everything she wanted to. This biography takes account of all the shows and books related to her.

Marcela started her career as a professional cook as a member of the Bon Appétit magazine staff, where she served as an editor and recipe stylist and was eventually known to many with her dedicated work in the magazine. She also appeared on television when she participated in ‘The Apprentice: Martha Stewart’ in 2005. The competition got her the fourth place and recognition from the judges for her delicious recipes.

Valladolid’s appearance on television increased in frequency nearly expedientially. She started her own cooking show ‘Relatos con Sabor’ on the Spanish version of the Discovery Channel (called Discovery en Español). Her show was inspired by the traditional and preservation of recipes by Hispanic people. Other Food Network shows that the renowned cook appeared on include ‘Throwdown! with Bobby Flay’, where she was a judge for a fish taco-themed competition, the "That's Too Much" contest, where she even won a car and an episode of the The Price Is Right, where she was used as a guest model especially for Thanksgiving. In 2014 she started to co-host the then new show of the Food Network, ‘The Kitchen’. Currently – aside from what is mentioned above – she also hosts the Mexican Made Easy show.