Chef Marcela Valladolid isn't your typical habanero girl. The San Diego and Tijuana raised culinary artist is not a fan of overbearing spice. However, she is a fan of the frequent use of chipotle chilies and pickled jalapenos, and putting her family first.

Each day of her young life, chef Marcela crossed the border, leaving Tijuana so she could attend school in San Diego. Her binational and bicultural upbringing involving foods and customs pulled from both sides of the border. Oaxaca, Yucatan, Puebla and Mexico City gastronomy was represented on her plate, but so were foods known north of the border.

"I literary grew up with both cultures, both countries, both languages, both kinds of cuisine...both of everything, pretty much at the same time," chef Marcela told Latin Post.

"I spent half of my day in San Diego, and half of my day in Mexico. I was really able to get an influential understanding of both cultures. My whole life I thought I was going to be an architect, so I went to architecture school. But, my aunt, who opened up one of the first cooking schools in Baja, Mexico, gave me a job as her assistant in the kitchen. I fell in love with her love of cooking and her love of teaching cooking, so I went to Los Angeles to study the culinary arts."

After graduating from culinary school, chef Marcela became a food writer for Bon Appétit Magazine. There she was able to plate food from all cultures and cuisines, and as a recipe stylist, she was able to style, edit, write and develop recipes. Her work at the publication led to guest television spots on local news, whetting her appetite for television appearances. She then perused Food Network for 10 years, thirsty for a platform to discuss the Mexican food that she grew up with because of its beauty, authentic and sophistication. After an appearance on the "Today Show" to promote her first cook book, "Fresh Mexico: 100 Simple Recipes for True Mexican Flavor," Food Network made chef Marcela the host of her own series "Mexican Made Easy," and a co-host "The Kitchen."

The chef-author's career has been packed with opportunities, which include competing in the 2005 series "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart," the development of her first show "Relatos con Sabor" on Discovery en Español, appearance on "Throwdown! with Bobby Flay," and a New Year's edition of "Iron Chef America" in 2012. Also, she was one of two judges on the CBS reality TV cooking competition series "The American Baking Competition." However, before she became the phenom she is today, she learned under her aunt, who's her namesake. Her family's first chef Marcela taught her everything she knows about food and annually prepared a signature dish, a pepper-crusted prime rib roast, which has been inherited by the Food Network host.

"Every time I cook it, I think of her and my grandparents' house, and everything I've learned from her and my father who's her grandpa, who's my biggest inspiration in the kitchen," said the "Mexican Made Easy: Everyday Ingredients, Extraordinary Flavor" author.

"I published it once, in a magazine, and now it's going to be published in my third book, so it's a very, very symbolic recipe for us. It's a holiday recipe, a centerpiece; it sits in the center of the table and it's a beautiful, beautiful huge roast. It's a simple recipe, but it's a gorgeous platter of a huge prime rib roast. My aunt usually made it during New Year's Day, and I've made it the last three years for Christmas."

When it comes to everyday cooking, chipotle chilies and pickled jalapenos happen to be among her favorite ingredients. When preparing spaghetti and marinara, she adds pickled jalapenos, and if she's preparing a cheeseburger, she'll add pickled jalapenos and chipotle sauce. However, chef Marcela explained she doesn't like things that are too spicy -- she isn't "your typical habanero girl." She doesn't like stinging heat, instead she enjoys chipotles and jalapenos, which make any food a comfort food for her.

These days the fresh herbs that grow in the cook's garden are also a comfort to her. She has a huge organic edible garden, where she pulls parsley, cilantro, and all the herbs of a traditional kitchen, whether it's a Mexican, Mediterranean or urban farm kitchen.

During the interview with LP, Ritz Escoffier Cooking School-trained pastry chef also shared the greatest lesson she's learned as a chef, and that's to be authentic.

"If you are authentic, you're not going to try to be somebody else. There's no competition because there's no other you. I'm not better or worse than anybody else, but when you think about it, what other Marcela Valladollid is there ...who was born and lived in Tijuana and San Diego, was a single mom, but studied French cuisine? If you're authentic to yourself, who else is going to compete?" she said.

"When some chefs are starting out or they're looking to be on TV, they look at trends and they try immolating them in some way... or they try to be Giada [De Laurentiis] or Rachael [Ray]. They can get lost in the cycle because there's a million people try to be Giada and Rachael, and they're awesome, but nobody else is ever going to be them. So you need to just be true to yourself. I think that's true for most of us, not just us in the cooking world."

When it comes to being a mother, chef Marcela says her family comes first. In order for her to function on a profession level, she has be 100 percent sure that her life is balanced. Being a mother takes priority. She has no problem passing up a big opportunity if it means that she spend Thanksgiving with her family because "it's going to be far more rewarding." She prioritizes precious memories over the career she very much loves because those moments are what give her happiness, and if she's not happy, she can't be creative, and if she can't be creative, then she can't work.

Chef Marcela is working on her third cookbook, and she developing a project centered on modern Mexican lifestyle, which will involve table and kitchen items being produced under brand.

Check out Chef Marcela's Pepper-Crusted Prime Rib Roast (Published in Food and Wine Magazine) recipe below.

A mix of soy sauce, ground chile, garlic and peppercorns coats this gorgeous prime rib from TV chef Marcela Valladolid; as it roasts, the rub forms a peppery crust around the juicy meat.

INGREDIENTS

  • One 9- to 10-pound prime rib roast
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup multicolor whole peppercorns
  • 1 guajillo chile, stemmed and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 cups low-sodium beef broth

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Season the roast with the salt and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
  2. In a spice grinder, grind the peppercorns, guajillo chile and rosemary until coarse. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the broth and mix well.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400°. Rub the pepper mix all over the roast. Place the roast on a rack set over a roasting pan. Add 2 cups of the broth to the pan and roast for 30 minutes, until the meat is well browned. Add 2 more cups of the broth and loosely tent the roast with foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°. Roast for about 2 1/2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer registers 115°; add the remaining 2 cups of broth halfway through. Set the roast on a cutting board to rest for about 30 minutes (the center of the roast will register at 125° for medium rare).
  4. Strain the pan juices into a small saucepan. Skim off as much fat as possible and bring to a simmer. Carve the roast and serve with the pan jus.

Try this beef with a peppery California Cabernet.

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