Pati Jinich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pati Jinich
Pati Jinich at the James Beard Media Awards in New York on April 26, 2019.
Born	Patricia Drijanski (1972-03-30) March 30, 1972 (age 53) Mexico City, Mexico
Alma mater	Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (B.S., Political Science, 1995) Georgetown University (M.A., Latin-American studies, 2004) L'Academie de Cuisine, Gaithersburg, Maryland (Certificate, Intensive Culinary Skills, 2006)
Occupation	Chef, TV Personality, Cookbook Author
Years active	2007–present
Known for	Pati's Mexican Table, public television series (2011-), La Frontera with Pati Jinich, PBS docuseries (2021 - 2023)
Spouse(s)	Daniel Jinich (m. 1996)
Children	3
Relatives	Emilio Romano (brother-in-law)

Pati Jinich (born Patricia Drijanski on March 30, 1972) is a famous Mexican-American chef, TV star, and author of cookbooks. She is well-known for her TV shows Pati's Mexican Table and La Frontera with Pati Jinich. Both shows have won important awards like the James Beard Foundation Award.

Pati has written three popular cookbooks: Pati's Mexican Table (2013), Mexican Today (2016), and Treasures of the Mexican Table (2021). She is also the main chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. There, she has taught cooking classes called "Mexican Table" since 2007. Pati has appeared on many TV shows and her food articles have been in newspapers like The Washington Post and The New York Times. She even cooked at the White House for President Barack Obama in 2014.

Early Life and Education

Pati Jinich grew up in Mexico City, Mexico, in a Jewish family. She was the youngest of four sisters. Her grandparents were refugees from Eastern Europe who met again in Mexico. Pati's father was an architect who later opened restaurants, and her mother managed an art gallery.

Food was always a big part of her family's life. While her older sisters became interested in cooking early on, Pati first dreamed of a career in academics. She studied political science and earned a bachelor's degree from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. Later, she got a master's degree in Latin-American studies from Georgetown University. Before becoming a chef, she worked as a political analyst, studying government and public policy.

Pati met her husband, Daniel Jinich, who is also Jewish-Mexican, on a blind date. They got married in Mexico City in 1996 when she was 24 years old.

Becoming a Chef

Pati Jinich started cooking and researching Mexican cuisine because she missed her home in Mexico City. This happened when she moved to Dallas, Texas, with her husband. Soon, she was teaching Mexican cooking to her friends and neighbors. She also helped with a PBS TV show called New Tastes from Texas as a production assistant.

A couple of years later, Pati moved to Washington, D.C., with her husband and their first son. She continued her studies at Georgetown University and got a "dream job" as a political analyst. However, she kept thinking about food and decided to enroll in a cooking school called L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland.

Pati first thought she would write articles about Mexican food and teach cooking from her home. But then she met the director of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. He encouraged her to bring her cooking program to the institute. In 2007, she started her "Mexican Table" series. These were live cooking demonstrations with multi-course dinners. She still runs these classes today. The classes combine her cooking skills with her knowledge of Mexico's history and different regions.

Around the same time, she started a blog about Mexican food. This led to invitations to write for magazines and newspapers, and to give cooking demonstrations on radio and TV.

Pati's friendly personality and intelligence caught the attention of TV producers. She chose American Public Television (APT) for her show, Pati's Mexican Table. This was because APT allowed her to keep the show authentic and independent. The first season of Pati’s Mexican Table aired in 2011.

Television Shows

In Pati's Mexican Table, Pati Jinich shares real Mexican cooking. She also explores Mexico's rich history and culture. The show includes her personal stories and family life. It also features her conversations with cooks from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The series is shown across the United States on public television stations and on Create TV. It also airs in other countries like Southeast Asia, Australia, Canada, and Japan.

The Pati's Mexican Table series began in 2011. In 2017, Amazon added the show to its Amazon Prime Video streaming service.

In 2021, Pati Jinich launched a new show on PBS called La Frontera with Pati Jinich. In this show, she travels along the Mexico–United States border. She explores the region's culture, people, and food. She also thinks about how different cultures mix together there. Both seasons of this show are available to watch on the PBS website and app, and on Amazon Prime Video.

In 2025, Pati hosted another PBS show called Pati Jinich Explores PanAmericana. This series follows Pati as she travels along the entire Pan-American Highway.

Cookbooks

Pati's Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking

Pati Jinich's first cookbook, Pati's Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking, was published in March 2013. This book is based on the traditional Mexican home cooking that Pati grew up with. Many recipes came from her childhood in Mexico City. The book was chosen as one of the "Best of the Year in Cookbooks" by Amazon in 2013. It also made similar lists from The Washington Post and other food websites.

Mexican Today: New and Rediscovered Recipes for Contemporary Kitchens

Her second cookbook, Mexican Today: New and Rediscovered Recipes for Contemporary Kitchens, came out in April 2016. In this book, Pati looks at both old and new Mexican dishes. She also shares new ways to use Mexican ingredients. NPR said that Mexican Today explores not just traditional food but also how Mexico's cuisine is changing. It also looks at how different groups of people have influenced it.

Treasures of the Mexican Table

Pati's third cookbook, Treasures of the Mexican Table: Classic Recipes, Local Secrets, was published in November 2021. This is her biggest cookbook yet. It includes recipes she found during her travels all over Mexico. These recipes range from famous dishes to local specialties that are not well-known outside their regions. It became a New York Times bestseller. Many publications, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, named it one of the best cookbooks of 2021.

Personal Life

Pati Jinich lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She lives there with her husband, Daniel Jinich, and their three sons: Alan, Samuel (Sami), and Julian (Juju). Her sister Karen Drijanski is also a chef in Mexico City. Another sister, Sharon Drijanski, is a designer and has written vegetarian cookbooks. Her third sister, Alisa Drijanski, is a pastry chef.

Pati is Jewish and regularly celebrates Shabbat, a day of rest and worship.

Awards and Achievements

Pati Jinich has received many awards and honors for her work:

• Named to The Washington Post's "Post Next: 50 People Shaping Our Society in 2025" List (2025).
• La Frontera with Pati Jinich Season 2 won a James Beard Foundation Award for Docuseries Visual Media (2024).
• Pati's Mexican Table won an IACP Award for Culinary Television Series (2024).
• Treasures of the Mexican Table won an IACP Award for Best International Cookbook (2022).
• Won a Gracie Award for Producer – Documentary /Unscripted / Non‐Fiction for La Frontera with Pati Jinich (2022).
• Pati's Mexican Table won a James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Television Program in Studio or Fixed Location (2020).
• Won a Gracie Award for On-Air Talent – Lifestyle for Pati's Mexican Table (2020).
• Pati's Mexican Table won an Imagen Award for Best Reality Program (2020).
• Pati's Mexican Table won an IACP Award for Culinary Television Series (2020).
• Named to Hola! USAs "Latina Powerhouse Top 100" List (2020).
• Pati's Mexican Table won a James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Television Program in Studio or Fixed Location (2019).
• Won a James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Personality/Host for Pati's Mexican Table (2018).
• Pati's Mexican Table won an Imagen Award for Best Reality Program (2018).
• Named one of the Top-5 Border Ambassadors between the U.S. and Mexico by Americas Quarterly (2017).
• Won an Imagen Award for Best National Informational Program (2016).
• Won two consecutive Taste Awards for Best Ethnic Program (2016, 2015).
• Her cookbook Pati's Mexican Table was chosen for the 2013 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Best in the World List.
• Pati cooked at the White House for President Barack Obama's Cinco de Mayo Dinner (2014).
• Named to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's Kitchen Cabinet Board for the American Food History Project (2014).
• Named to the United Nations' Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves Chefs Corps (2015).

See also

In Spanish: Pati Jinich para niños