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My Story

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About Me

Hola! I’m Maira—an award‑winning chef, best‑selling cookbook author, and culinary innovation leader with more than 25 years shaping menu strategy, product development, and operational execution for national brands. My work centers on building menus that honor a brand’s DNA while driving profitability, operational simplicity, and long‑term guest relevance.

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Culinary Leadership & Innovation

My expertise is rooted in disciplined, enterprise‑level menu development. I specialize in creating products and platforms that balance craveability, cost structure, operational feasibility, and brand identity.

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I have led culinary strategy and menu innovation for Schlotzsky’s, Subway, Wild Wing Café, and TravelCenters of America (a BP company)—guiding brand‑defining menu platforms, operational systems, and cross‑functional alignment across R&D, operations, supply chain, marketing, and training.

 

At PepsiCo – Frito‑Lay, I served as an Associate Principal Research Chef, functioning as a recipe and product developer within the R&D organization. I contributed to innovation and commercialization across a large national portfolio, developing two nationally launched products—Baked Lay’s Roasted Garlic & Herbs and Baked Lay’s Loaded Potato, both released in February 2026—and supporting the commercialization of more than 20 SKUs across a $23B portfolio, ensuring feasibility, cost alignment, and manufacturing consistency at scale.

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My leadership is defined by:

  • Menu development systems that protect brand DNA while enabling innovation

  • Operational simplification that reduces steps, SKUs, and friction for teams

  • Menu standardization and scalable recipe architecture

  • KPI‑driven decision‑making, including PPA, margin, and menu mix optimization

  • Cross‑functional alignment across the full enterprise

  • Brand‑aligned visual direction, including food styling when needed to support menu and marketing cohesion

  • Menus that work in the real world—profitable, executable, and true to the brand

 

Current Work: CMI Group (Chef Maira Isabel)

While exploring the right next executive culinary role, I continue to lead select innovation and menu strategy projects through CMI Group, my culinary consulting practice. This work allows me to support brands in strengthening their culinary identity, optimizing processes, and developing future‑focused menu pipelines.

 

Global Research & Culinary Travel

Culinary travel is one of my greatest passions, and it’s something I continue to pursue constantly—because learning never stops. My culinary philosophy is shaped by immersive global research. I’m a world traveler who learns culture through food, studying with local masters—sometimes highly regarded chefs, and other times the grandmothers, home cooks, and market vendors who preserve a region’s true culinary soul.

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Over the years, I’ve completed intensive culinary programs and professional immersions in Spain, France, Italy, and Mexico, as well as Greece, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Morocco, Serbia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These experiences, layered across decades of exploration, continue to shape my flavor vocabulary, menu strategy, and leadership approach.

 

Entrepreneurship & Authorship

I founded and operated Let’s Cook PR, a cooking school and culinary studio offering classes, catering, and corporate demos. The studio served culinary enthusiasts, food lovers looking to build skills, guests seeking approachable, technique‑driven instruction, young adults exploring whether a culinary career could be part of their future and seeking guidance and mentorship, and children as young as four beginning their culinary journey. This work deepened my commitment to developing talent, nurturing curiosity, and helping future culinarians find their path.

I’m also the author of two books, including Gourmet Para Todos Los Días, which became Puerto Rico’s number‑one cookbook for 12 consecutive weeks.

 

Media Experience

Media has supported my culinary storytelling throughout my career. I appeared in daily cooking segments on the morning shows of Telemundo, Univisión, and WIPR; filmed three consecutive seasons of a culinary lifestyle show for Fox Utilísima; and hosted Bizarre Foods in Puerto Rico. These experiences strengthened my ability to communicate technique, culture, and flavor with clarity, confidence, and visual intention.

 

Education

  • MBA, Marketing – University of Phoenix, San Juan, PR

  • BA, Business Administration – Trinity University, Washington, DC

  • AS, Food & Beverage Management – Johnson & Wales University, RI

 

Memberships, Credentials & Professional Recognition

  • Best‑Selling Cookbook Author – Gourmet Para Todos Los Días

·       Fast Casual Magazine – Movers & Shakers

  • Swany Award – Focus Brands (organization’s top employee excellence honor) – Two Time Recipient

·       RCA – Research Chefs Association Member

·       ServSafe Food Protection Manager

  • Kansas City BBQ Society – Certified Judge

  • Professional Category - First Place Winner – O-town MacDown Competition, Orlando, FL

  • Creative Sweet 1st Place – 2021 Buffalo Wing Festival, Buffalo, NY

  • Best Food Presentation, Best Entrée, Best Décor –Taste of Johns Creek, Johns Creek, GA

 

Personal Roots

Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban, Venezuelan, and Spanish roots, I bring a layered, multicultural lens to every project. I’m bilingual in English and Spanish and have strong comprehension of Italian, French, and Portuguese, which deepens my connection to the culinary traditions and regional nuances that influence my work.

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Outside the kitchen, I explore wine, photography, leather crafting, watercolor painting, and curate an archive of more than 1,200 restaurant menus dating back to the 1800s—a personal collection that fuels my love for culinary history, design, and the evolution of dining culture.

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