Bio
Hi, I’m Maira , an award-winning chef, best-selling cookbook author in Puerto Rico, food and prop stylist, and culinary innovator with over 25 years of experience in the food service and hospitality industry. My journey has taken me from being the chef of television shows on Telemundo, Univisión, Fox Utilísima, and WIPR, to hosting Bizarre Foods in Puerto Rico, to leading culinary innovation for brands like Schlotzsky’s, Subway, and PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay.
Today, I’m proud to serve as Director of Culinary Innovation at Mendocino Farms, where I guide menu strategy and cross-functional collaboration to bring fresh, thoughtful concepts to life. I also owned and operated Let’s Cook PR for over seven years, a cooking school for non-chefs that offered classes, catering, and corporate culinary demos.
I’m the author of Gourmet Para Todos Los Días, which held the #1 spot for cookbooks in Puerto Rico for 12 weeks and reached #2 among all titles at Borders Puerto Rico, as well as How Angels Become Babies, inspired by my adoption journey. One of my greatest passions is culinary travel—every year I immerse myself in a new country’s food culture, taking specialized courses from local masters to expand my craft and connect with traditions around the world.
Born in Puerto Rico to a family with Cuban, Venezuelan, and Spanish roots, I’m fluent in English and Spanish, and I can also comprehend some French, Italian, Catalan, and Portuguese. Beyond my professional work, I enjoy wines, photography, leather crafting, painting watercolors, and curating my archive of over 1,200 restaurant menus dating back to the 1800s.