Daisy Maria Martinez is an actress, model, chef,

television personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, who hosted a

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

television series, ''

Daisy Cooks! ''Daisy Cooks!'' is a half-hour cooking show on PBS starring Daisy Martinez which features Spanish-Caribbean, Puerto Rican, and Mexican cuisine and their preparation. Episodes ''(cf. sample show listings)'' # ''Dad's Firehouse Dinner'' # '' ...

'', which launched on April 15, 2005.

Career

Daisy was born to

stateside Puerto Rican Stateside Puerto Ricans ( es, link=no, Puertorriqueños de Estados Unidos), also ambiguously known as Puerto Rican Americans ( es, link=no, puertorriqueño-americanos,), or Puerto Ricans in the United States, are Puerto Ricans who are in the U ...

parents in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and they lived with her grandmother until she was almost five years old. From her grandmother, Valentina, and her mother, Conchita, Daisy developed an appreciation of Latin cuisine. She attended

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...

, where she met her first husband. Before becoming a TV chef, Daisy was an actress and model. She became the ''Martinez Valero Girl'' for the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

shoe company by the same name. Daisy appeared in American commercials for Ford, and in Spanish-language commercials for AT&T. She has also appeared in ''

Carlito’s Way ''Carlito's Way'' is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels ''Carlito's Way'' (1975) and '' After Hours'' (1979) by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pac ...

'' and '' Scent of a Woman''. In 1998, Daisy matriculated at The French Culinary Institute, where she won first prize for her final project, "The Passionate Palate". Shortly after graduation, Daisy worked on the set of PBS' Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen as a prep-kitchen chef. In 2005, she did "Daisy Cooks" for PBS. She worked as a private chef in New York City for three years. In addition, Daisy managed a small catering business, "The Passionate Palate", which she continues to operate. One of her books was IACP nominee and winner of the Best Latino Cuisine Cookbook in the World by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. In January 2009, she hosted a six episode series, ''Viva Daisy!'', on

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...

. Daisy currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. She is divorced from her husband Jerry, a medical doctor. She is the mother of four children: Marc, Erik, David, and Angela.

References

External links

Official website
*

- ''FCI Review'', French Culinary Institute of New York City newsletter {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Daisy Living people American television chefs Food Network chefs International Culinary Center alumni American cookbook writers Women cookbook writers American women chefs American women non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women