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 due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

, and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, who hosted a

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

television series, '' Daisy Cooks!'', which launched on April 15, 2005.

Career

Daisy Martinez was born to stateside Puerto Rican parents in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

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

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

, where she met her first husband. Before becoming a TV chef, Martinez 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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

shoe company by the same name. She 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 and written by David Koepp, based on the novels ''Carlito's Way'' (1975) and '' After Hours'' (1979) by Judge Edwin Torres. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope ...

'' and '' Scent of a Woman''. In 1998, Martinex matriculated at the

French Culinary Institute The International Culinary Center (originally known as the French Culinary Institute) was a private for-profit culinary school from 1984 to 2020 headquartered in New York City, New York. The facilities included professional kitchens for hands- ...

, 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, Martinez 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 unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

. Raised in

Eltingville, Staten Island Eltingville is a neighborhood in the Staten Island borough of New York City, United States. It is located on Staten Island's South Shore, Staten Island, South Shore, immediately to the south of Great Kills, Staten Island, Great Kills and north ...

, Martinez has resided in

Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in South Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park and Eighth Avenue (Brooklyn), Prospect Park West to the east, ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

.Silvestri, Pamela
"A dose of Daisy"
''

Staten Island Advance The ''Staten Island Advance'' is a daily newspaper published in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. It is the only daily newspaper published in Staten Island and the only major daily newspaper focused on covering it exclu ...

'', May 19, 2010. Accessed March 26, 2025. "She’s stoked about coming back to Staten Island: Ms. Martinez grew up in Eltingville. She lives with her husband and family in Park Slope, Brooklyn." 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 People from Eltingville, Staten Island People from Park Slope American cookbook writers American women food writers American women chefs American women non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women