Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz facts for kids

Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz (born June 17, 1915 – died October 27, 2003) was a British food writer. She became famous for introducing Latin American cuisine to people in the United States and the United Kingdom. She started her career writing poems and stories. Later, she began working with food after moving to Mexico City. She won two James Beard Foundation Awards for her cookbooks.

Elisabeth's Early Life and Travels

Elizabeth Lambert was born on June 17, 1915, in Harrow on the Hill, England. She was the middle child of three sisters. Her father was a marine engineer. Because of his job, her family moved to Jamaica when she was 8. Later, they moved to Australia.

Her writing journey began in Australia. She first published three books of poetry. She also worked as a court reporter in Sydney. After that, she wrote reviews for movies and TV shows. Elisabeth married, but her first husband sadly died during World War II after joining the Royal Air Force.

In 1949, Lambert Ortiz moved to London. She planned to work as a journalist. Instead, she wrote a play for the BBC. She also wrote two novels, The Sleeping House Party and Father Couldn't Juggle. In the mid-1950s, she moved to New York City. There, she worked for the United Nations on a children's book about the ocean. In New York, she met and married diplomat Cesar Ortiz Tinoco.

Becoming a Food Expert

Elisabeth moved with her husband to Mexico City when he was sent there for work. She learned to speak Spanish and explored Mexican cuisine. She learned a lot from her husband's family. She became very interested in how Mexican food had changed over time. She also studied how colonization affected traditional recipes.

She had already been in touch with the editor of House & Garden magazine, José Wilson. Wilson asked Ortiz to write articles about Mexican food. She also introduced Elisabeth to the famous food expert, James Beard.

Traveling and Writing Cookbooks

During the 1960s, Lambert Ortiz traveled with her husband across Latin America and Asia. Her first cookbook, The Complete Book Of Mexican Cooking, came out in 1967. She then wrote The Book Of Latin American Cooking and The Complete Book Of Caribbean Cooking.

She wrote many articles for Gourmet magazine. She also contributed to several Time-Life publications. In 1976, she wrote Complete Book of Japanese Cooking with Mitsuko Endo. This was when her husband was working in Bangkok. After her husband retired in 1980, they settled in London. Her cookbooks then started to be published in the UK. She also wrote a book on nouvelle cuisine called A Taste Of Excellence in 1986.

Awards for Her Work

Elisabeth won the James Beard Foundation Award twice for her cookbooks. She won in 1968 for The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking. She won again in 1980 for The Book of Latin American Cooking. She was nominated for another award in 1993 for The Encyclopedias of Herbs, Spices and Flavorings. That book also won awards from famous chef Julia Child and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Later Life and Lasting Impact

After her husband passed away in 1992, Elisabeth became more isolated. Her health got worse because of arthritis. She then moved back to New York permanently to be closer to her sister.

Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz wrote cookbooks about many different types of food. However, she is best remembered for her work on Latin American cuisine. She played a big role in making Mexican food popular in both the United States and the United Kingdom.