020: Pati Jinich - Chef, Cookbook Author & Television Host

What's Burning

Pati Jinich is the James Beard Award-winning Mexican chef and New York Times bestselling author who has dedicated her career to building a shared understanding between her two neighboring home countries: Mexico, where she was born, and the United States, where she lives currently and is raising her family. She’s the executive producer and host of the Emmy-nominated PBS series Pati’s Mexican Table, which has brought Mexican flavors, colors and textures into American homes and kitchens for more than 10 years, as Pati takes viewers through the diverse geographic regions of the country. Pati is also the executive producer and host of La Frontera, her PBS Primetime special that debuted in fall 2021, which uses food as a vehicle to showcase the vibrant people and culture along the largely misunderstood and misrepresented US-Mexico border.

Named one of the “100 Greatest Cooks of All-Time,” Pati has won a Gracie Award for her television work, is the resident chef of the Mexican Cultural Institute, has been named one of the “Top 5 Border Ambassadors” by The Council of Americas, and has authored three cookbooks highlighting Mexican cuisine. Pati's most recent cookbook, Treasures of the Mexican Table, released November 2021 and was a New York Times bestseller, was named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, Glamour, Food & Wine, and others. Additionally, Pati is a contributor to the New York Times.

On this episode, Pati joins host Mitchell Davis and discusses the mosaic of Mexican cuisine, cooking as a portal to the world, and why chilis are just vegetables with personality.

Follow Pati on Instagram @PatiJinich

For more on Pati and her work, visit: PatiJinich.com