Daisy Martinez facts for kids

Daisy Maria Martinez is a talented person who does many things! She is an actress, a model, a chef, and an author. You might know her from her TV show on PBS called Daisy Cooks!, which started in 2005.

Daisy's Journey to Success

Daisy was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were from Puerto Rico but lived in the United States. She lived with her grandmother, Valentina, until she was almost five years old. Both her grandmother and her mother, Conchita, taught Daisy to love Latin cooking. She later went to Long Island University.

From Acting to Cooking

Before she became a famous chef on TV, Daisy worked as an actress and a model. She was even the Martinez Valero Girl for a shoe company from Spain. Daisy appeared in commercials for big companies like Ford and AT&T. She also acted in movies like Carlito’s Way and Scent of a Woman.

Becoming a Chef

In 1998, Daisy decided to study cooking seriously. She went to The French Culinary Institute. For her final project, called "The Passionate Palate," she won first prize! After she graduated, Daisy worked as a chef in the kitchen for another PBS cooking show, Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen.

In 2005, Daisy got her own cooking show on PBS, called Daisy Cooks!. She also worked as a private chef in New York City for three years. Daisy also runs her own catering business, "The Passionate Palate," which she still does today.

Award-Winning Author

Daisy has written cookbooks too! One of her books won a special award called "Best Latino Cuisine Cookbook in the World" from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. This shows how much people love her recipes!

More TV Shows

In 2009, Daisy hosted another TV show called Viva Daisy!. This show had six episodes and was on the Food Network.

Daisy lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is a mom to four children: Marc, Erik, David, and Angela.