Cookbook Writer. Food historian.
Culinary brand builder.
Passionate
Focused
I tell stories through food…
… with a focus on preserving cultures and traditions
The true gifts of a food writer and a chef are community and connections — those we make ourselves and those we facilitate —with each other and with our pasts —through our words, from our kitchens, and at the dinner table.
“I realized very early the power of food to evoke memory, to bring people together, to transport you to other places, and I wanted to be a part of that.” (José Andrés)
I help build culinary brands.
30 years as a brand marketer + 10 years as a chef = a unique understanding of marketing in the culinary space.
“Andrea has been very instrumental in my early career. She helped me formulate my story, directly contributing to my brand, to what is today. … And has a special gift for translating and narrating people’s visions”.
― Chef Tu David Phu Bravo's Top Chef Alumnus| San Francisco Chronicle Rising Star Chef| Story Teller| Emmy-Nominated Filmaker| James Beard Award Nominee
COOKBOOKS
I cannot come up with a more eloquent or succinct definition of a cookbook than “the account of an unfamiliar cuisine broken into manageable steps and gathered around the presence of a single personality” as Adam Gopnik put it in his New Yorker piece titled Mastering the Art of Making a Cookbook.
Convivir, Modern Mexican Cooking in California’s Wine Country
co-written with Chef Rogelio Garcia
I executed the research, wrote the narrative and food history, collaborated on recipe writing, and oversaw photographic art direction. Published by Cameron & Company/Abrams (September 17, 2024)
Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions, and Recipes
Co-authored with Adrian Almazan Lahl
Shelved in the Harvard and Cambridge libraries — the first cookbook to bring the richness and authenticity of the foods of Mexico’s 25 major, national holidays and festivals, from the day of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Carnaval to Cinco de Mayo.
OTHER WRITING
Convivir is the antidote for those who don’t see the grandeur of Mexican cuisine married with a love of America’s best wine belt; it sits at the intersection of wine and good communal eating, with roots in traditions millennia old stretching across oceans and continents. This is a beautiful, fresh take meant to make you rush into the kitchen.”―MICHAEL TWITTY, author of the James Beard Award-winning The Cooking Gene
“In Convivir, Chef Rogelio Garcia uses creative and sumptuous food to share his compelling and improbable personal journey. Gratefully, this beautifully photographed and well-written cookbook inventively expands the narrow conceptions that so many hold about Mexican cuisine.”―ADRIAN MILLER, culinary historian, author, and two-time James Beard Award winner
“Rogelio and Andrea are superb artisans of their respective crafts, with both distinctive recipes and incisive prose. A must for any fan of modern Mexican cuisine.”―TODD MASONIS, founder Dandelion Chocolate and author of Making Chocolate: From Bean to Bar to S’more
“This is a story of triumph in Chef Rogelio’s quest to be one of the best in showcasing Mexican conviviality with the beautiful bounty of Northern California—and a celebration of the creative spirit and impeccable talent that immigrants bring to the culinary landscape in America, against all odds.”―REEM ASSIL, chef, author, and two-time James Beard Award finalist
“Adriana and Andrea have done a masterful job sharing the celebrations of Mexico with their words and recipes. They delve deeply into the rich history, customs and culture that will make you not only want to take this book to bed as bedtime reading but also you’ll want to keep it in your kitchen library and cook up some of the fantastic recipes they share. Books like this one are rare today! This is a must for anyone who loves food, culture, history, cooking and Mexico!” -- Joanne Weir, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author; television food personality; restaurateur and Executive Chef, Copita Tequileria y Comida
My short memoir, Survivor, was published in the collection Because I Said So: 33 Mothers Write About Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race, & Themselves (Camille Peri and Kate Moses editors, Harper Collins, 2005), and ran as a feature story in MORE magazine. Survivor recounts my experience with losing everything and starting over as a single mother in the most expensive city in the country— and the resilience I, and my three children, found coming out the other end.