Top 60 Marcela Valladolid Quotes

My boys will not only respect and admire women and see them as their equals, but they will also see them as sources of inspiration and knowledge.

I’m all about simple appetizers when it comes to the holidays.

I surround myself with people that are supportive of our insane family dynamic, and I savor every minute of every day I have at home with my family.

My former assistant used to tell me I have a problem with cushions and she was totally right. The reason is because I’m constantly rearranging things in my house. And if I can’t move a whole piece of furniture, the easiest thing to rearrange is cushions. I like to keep things fresh.

I’ve been doing the ‘Mexican Made Easy’ show, and it’s very heavy on instructions. It’s me talking to the camera.

Escamoles have a cottage cheese-like consistency and have a buttery yet slightly nutty flavor. They are usually served sauteed with butter, garlic, and scallions for making soft corn tortilla tacos.

It’s what makes me the happiest – to make beautiful things for the people I love, and to fill my home with love and laughter and music and food and people.

Tijuana is a baby compared to pre-Hispanic cities like Puebla or Oaxaca, the birthplace of mole.

I was a contestant on ‘The Apprentice: Martha Stewart’ and more than her telling me I learned from her that authenticity is key. She had a huge issue with a contestant using the phrase ‘fake it ’til you make it’ and fired her that same episode. She taught me that you can’t fake being a master of your craft.

I’m not going to focus on the bad days. I choose to live in gratitude.

Those of us that were raised in Tijuana have so much access to San Diego. I was crossing the border every day when I was a kid, and that back and forth has a huge influence on the cuisine. So the U.S. is coming down to Tijuana, Tijuana is going to San Diego. There’s this great blending, a great exchange.

I really only eat burritos in Tijuana from street corners that come out of coolers from businesses with no name, telephone or website.

Day of the Dead. Sounds a little spooky doesn’t it? It’s actually one of the most colorful and joyous of Mexican holidays.

Growing up in Mexico, I have many fond memories of not only celebrating posadas with my family, but also of the time spent together menu planning and prepping for decoration and entertaining activities. A lot of work goes into celebrating these traditions, but that doesn’t mean they have to cost a lot too.

My life revolves around chipotles.

The more you make an effort, the more life gives you things to be grateful for.

I like risk takers. They’re the ones that end up changing the world.

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of having a salad before a meal.

Tart pomegranates that pop in your mouth make the perfect counterpoint to roasted chicken and salty-creamy feta cheese.

There’s a particular quality that those of us who live on the border share; we can switch from being Mexican to being American in an instant just by scanning our surroundings. Not everybody has this superpower; it takes a very specific kind of upbringing to instill a deep pride in two very different cultures.

My decisions are motivated by my life, my values, and what I stand for, not what I can gain financially from it. This has weeded out the opportunities that I don’t care about and has brought on a lot of new opportunities that mean everything to me.

I didn’t realize I was living in a very unique situation until I became a culinary professional. For me, there was nothing out of the ordinary about spending half my day in Mexico, and the other half in California.

We don’t eat nachos in Mexico.

I want children to feel proud of their heritage.

I love my molcajete, which is a Mexican mortar and pestle. There is no comparison in flavor to when I use a processor.

I think it’s important to educate kids about food and let them help a little with the cooking and cleaning. That interaction is really important.

I’m a purist when it comes to certain foods, and al pastor tacos (known as adobada tacos to us in Tijuana) is one of those foods. I lived off them – literally.

There is nothing more satisfying to me than seeing people who eat my food have smiles on their faces. It makes the experience special.

I use my Le Creuset dutch oven for everything you can think of. I even fry eggs in it.

Growing up in Mexico, I know what real Mexican food is – and isn’t.

I do the best I can to remind my family as often as possible that I love them more than life itself, and to let them know that every step I take is with them in the very front of my mind.

I had a lot of female role models around me as a kid, but my aunt Marcela Rodriguez was the strongest. When she was only 26, she opened Artes Culinarias Internacionales, one of the first culinary schools in Baja. She started with six students and built up to 800.

More than anything, a lot of our family’s history is tied to food. It’s just one of those things.

On the ‘Today’ show, I feel comfortable because I get to interact with people. I love that interaction. I love hearing other people’s stories. I would much rather have that human interaction so it feels like a real conversion than just standing there and demonstrating things to the camera.

In Tijuana, because there’s such a mix and match of people and regions and we’re a newer city and everyone comes from some place else, I think we’re just given permission to play with our food.

I love my fish spatula so much. I don’t have many specialty tools, but that’s a favorite of mine.

When I’m in San Diego, it’s carpools and making dinner and getting the kids to bed. It’s real life.

You can invite people over or make your kids their favorite food – that usually inspires me in the kitchen.

There isn’t anything hotter than a guy who cooks.

My goal and my mission is to cook the home-style food that I grew up with – simple, straightforward, inexpensive and homemade tortillas. Nothing fancy and no cream based sauces – just tomatoes & chiles and nothing pre-processed.

Typically a weekend retreat for the heart, soul and palate, brunch is the perfect way to unwind and reconnect.

I hate perfect centerpieces and formal tablescapes.

As a chef and avid traveler, meeting new people and sharing a meal with the intent to learn more about their culture is important to me.

I have pictures with Morimoto where I’m all embarrassed and he’s so serious, it took me 30 minutes to get up the courage to introduce myself.

In Mexico, where I grew up, women rule the kitchen. They control everything that happens; they hold the power.

I definitely recommend a quality chef’s knife.

It is very important to cook out of your heart.

Huitlacoche is typically eaten as a filling for quesadillas or with any tortilla-based food. Also great stuffed in crepes.

San Diego, in fact, is one of the hardest places to sell Mexican food. You just cross the border into Tijuana and they have better food that’s more authentic and for half the price.

I cook healthy meals all the time. That’s really important to me.

There’s no insects in American cuisine? Not one? I don’t think there are. That’s so sad.

We’re a family with a pretty light sense of humor but, still, on the anniversary of my mom’s passing we don’t feel like getting ‘colorful’ and remembering her favorite foods. Every March 5th, the anniversary of her passing, we go to church and are sad for pretty much the rest of the day.

When I heard that Capital One was fostering a conversation about natural connections that exist among all of us, bridged through our travels – I knew I had to get involved.

Supermarket cherry tomatoes do serve a purpose, but the flavor is vastly different than those from your own garden. Same for broccoli and snap peas.

I strongly believe that it’s possible to conserve our heritage while making more healthful choices.

I’ve been really fortunate and I’ve just tried to focus on the work and getting people to see Mexico, its food and its culture in a slightly different light. It’s tricky with Mexican food because a lot of our recipes are so deeply rooted in tradition and Mexican history. That’s a heavy responsibility!

Honestly, I’ll take a little lard over the 20 chemicals and ingredients I can’t pronounce in some store-bought tortillas.

I’m passionate about holding on to my heritage and sharing it with family and friends, and cooking is a great way to do this.

I know how to bring recipes down to the level where people with no experience can feel comfortable making them.

The more kids are involved, the more likely they are to eat the food. Getting them involved gets them excited, and kids are much more likely to try something that they were involved in the process of creating because it gives them a sense of accomplishment – kids always love approval.