Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcela Valladolid.
Hi Marcela , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a chef who was raised in Tijuana, Mexico, and trained in classical French pastry before becoming a food editor at Bon Appétit magazine. From there, my career evolved into television, where for more than two decades I’ve had the privilege of sharing traditional Mexican cuisine and California Mexican cooking through television and six cookbooks.
Throughout those years, I kept imagining the kind of Mexican food brand I wished existed—one that honored the flavors and ingredients I grew up with while meeting the standards I wanted for my own family: thoughtfully sourced, minimally processed, organic whenever possible, non-GMO, and free of unnecessary preservatives.
That vision became Matriarca. After years of traveling throughout Mexico and building relationships with farmers, artisans, and producers, we’ve created a collection of foods that celebrates the Mexico I know and love. Today, Matriarca is growing beyond food into handcrafted tableware and home goods, with the goal of sharing the extraordinary craftsmanship, ingredients, and culture of Mexico in a way that feels authentic, elevated, and deeply rooted in tradition.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
People ask me this question a lot, and honestly, the answer has changed over time. Early in my career, I was a single mom, so I never really viewed anything as difficult. Every opportunity felt like a gift—whether it was writing a cookbook, filming a television show, traveling, or cooking. I was simply grateful that I could build a life for my son doing something I loved, so I rarely focused on the obstacles.
The challenges came later, when I decided to become an entrepreneur and build Matriarca. The creative side comes naturally to me. I love developing products, traveling throughout Mexico to source ingredients, working with artisans and producers, designing packaging, refining recipes, and shaping every detail of the brand. I’m deeply involved in every step of the process because I care about getting it right.
What has been more challenging is growing into the role of CEO. Building systems, understanding finance, scaling operations, making strategic investments, and creating the infrastructure needed to partner with national retailers require a very different skill set than creativity. Those responsibilities don’t come as naturally to me, but they’ve challenged me to grow in ways I never expected.
I’ve realized that building a successful company means embracing both sides of the work. I can’t just be the creative visionary—I also have to become the leader who understands the business well enough to build something that will last. That evolution has been the hardest part of my career, but also the most rewarding.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a classically trained chef who grew up in Tijuana and went to school in San Diego, and I think that bicultural upbringing is what truly sets me apart. I’ve always felt equally at home in both Mexico and the United States. I don’t switch between two identities—they’ve always existed together. That perspective has allowed me to build a genuine relationship of trust with my audience because everything I share about Mexican culture comes from lived experience, while my life here in California makes it relatable to people raising families and cooking in the U.S.
Professionally, my path has been a little unconventional. Although I trained as a chef, I never aspired to work in restaurants. I started my career as a food editor at Bon Appétit magazine before moving into television, where I spent many years sharing Mexican cuisine through cooking shows and eventually writing six cookbooks. Along the way, I also developed a large retail food line with Safeway, an experience that gave me a deep understanding of what it takes to create products that succeed on store shelves.
After more than 20 years of traveling throughout Mexico, meeting farmers, artisans, and producers, I finally created the company I had always imagined: Matriarca. The name felt inevitable to me because so much of Mexican culture revolves around the matriarch—the person who preserves traditions, nourishes the family, and passes knowledge from one generation to the next.
What makes Matriarca different is our unwavering commitment to quality and authenticity. Every product is made without preservatives, artificial colors, or unnecessary ingredients, and we prioritize organic and non-GMO ingredients whenever possible. We work directly with producers across Mexico whom I’ve come to know personally over decades of travel, sourcing exceptional ingredients that reflect the richness and diversity of the country.
More than a food company, Matriarca is my way of sharing the Mexico I know—beautiful, sophisticated, deeply rooted in tradition, and full of extraordinary ingredients, craftsmanship, and stories.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
More than anything, I want to thank the community that has made Matriarca possible. This brand was built from the very beginning by the people who have followed my work over the years—many of whom I’ve met at book signings, cooking demonstrations, and events long before Matriarca ever existed.
When we launched, we sold out of our first collection almost immediately, and I credit that entirely to the trust and support of this incredible community. They believed in the vision before anyone else did. They showed up, shared the products, gave thoughtful feedback, and have championed the brand every step of the way.
Now, just over a year later, as national retailers begin reaching out to carry Matriarca, I know that none of it would have happened without them. The reason we’re growing is because this community believed in what we were building from day one.
To our Matriarchs—the OGs who have been with us from the beginning—thank you. You didn’t just support a brand; you helped build it. I’ll never stop being grateful for that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Matriarca.com
- Instagram: @chefmarcela @matriarcahome
- Facebook: @chefmarcela
