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
March 30, 1972 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 chef, TV star, and cookbook author. She is well-known for her cooking shows and books about Mexican food.
Pati is especially famous for her TV series Pati's Mexican Table. This show has won awards like the James Beard Foundation Award. She also has a show called La Frontera with Pati Jinich on PBS. Pati has written three popular cookbooks: Pati's Mexican Table, Mexican Today, and Treasures of the Mexican Table.
She is the main chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, DC. There, she has taught cooking classes since 2007. Pati has also appeared on many TV shows like The Today Show and Good Morning America. Her food articles have been in The Washington Post and The New York Times. In 2014, she even cooked at the White House for President Barack Obama.
Contents
Pati's Early Life and Education
Pati Jinich grew up in Mexico City, Mexico. She was the youngest of four sisters in a Jewish family. Her grandparents came to Mexico as refugees from Eastern Europe during World War II. Her grandfather started a silver business. Her grandmother was a seamstress.
Pati's father was an architect and jeweler who later opened a restaurant. Her mother ran an art gallery. Food was always a big part of their family life. Pati's older sisters loved cooking from a young age.
However, Pati first wanted to work in academics. She studied political science at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. Then, she earned a master's degree in Latin-American studies from Georgetown University. She worked as a political analyst for a group called the Inter-American Dialogue.
Pati met her husband, Daniel Jinich, on a blind date. They got married in Mexico City in 1996. She was 24 years old at the time.
How Pati Became a Chef
Pati Jinich started cooking Mexican food when she moved to Dallas, Texas. She missed her home in Mexico City. Soon, she began teaching her friends and neighbors how to cook Mexican dishes.
While in Dallas, she helped a public TV station, KERA, with a cooking show. It was called New Tastes from Texas. This was her first experience working on a TV food program.
Later, Pati moved to Washington, DC, with her husband and first son. She continued her studies at Georgetown University. She also got her "dream job" at the Inter-American Dialogue. But she still loved thinking about food. So, she enrolled in a cooking school called L'Academie de Cuisine.
Pati first thought she would write about Mexican food and teach cooking at home. But then she met someone from the Mexican Cultural Institute. They encouraged her to bring her cooking program to the institute. In 2007, she started her "Mexican Table" series. These were live cooking shows with tasting dinners. She still runs these classes today. Her classes mix cooking skills with stories about Mexico's history.
Around the same time, she started a blog about Mexican food. This led to invitations to write for newspapers and magazines. She also gave talks and cooking demos on radio and TV.
TV producers noticed Pati's charm and knowledge. She chose to work with APT for her show. This was because they allowed her to keep her show authentic. The first season of Pati's Mexican Table aired in 2011.
Pati's TV Shows
On Pati's Mexican Table, Pati shares real Mexican cooking. She also teaches about Mexico's history and culture. She shares her own stories and family life. The show airs across the United States on public TV stations. It is also shown in other countries like Australia and Canada.
The show first started in 2011. In 2017, Amazon added Pati's Mexican Table to its Amazon Prime Video service. This made it even easier for people to watch.
In 2021, Pati started a new show called La Frontera with Pati Jinich. In this show, she travels along the Mexico–United States border. She explores the culture, people, and food of that region. She also talks about how different cultures mix there. Both seasons of this show are available on the PBS website and Amazon Prime Video.
Pati's Cookbooks
Pati's Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking
Pati's first cookbook was published in March 2013. It is called Pati's Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking. The book shares traditional Mexican recipes that Pati grew up with. Many recipes came from her childhood in Mexico City. This book was named one of the best cookbooks of 2013 by Amazon and The Washington Post.
Mexican Today: New and Rediscovered Recipes for Contemporary Kitchens
Her second cookbook, Mexican Today, came out in April 2016. In this book, Pati looks at both old and new Mexican dishes. She also shows how to use Mexican ingredients in new ways. NPR said this book explores how Mexican food is changing. It also shows how different groups of people have influenced it.
Treasures of the Mexican Table
Pati's third cookbook, Treasures of the Mexican Table, was released in November 2021. This is her biggest cookbook yet. It has recipes Pati found during her travels all over Mexico. It includes famous dishes and local specialties. This book became a New York Times bestseller. It was also named one of the best cookbooks of 2021 by many publications.
Pati's Family Life
Pati Jinich lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She lives there with her husband, Daniel Jinich. They have three sons named Alan, Samuel ("Sami"), and Julian ("Juju").
Pati has three sisters who are also involved in food. Her sister Karen Drijanski is a chef in Mexico City. Her sister Sharon Drijanski is a designer and has written vegetarian cookbooks. Her third sister, Alisa Drijanski, is a pastry chef.
Awards and Recognitions
Pati Jinich has won many awards for her work. Here are some of her achievements:
- La Frontera with Pati Jinich won a James Beard Foundation Award for Docuseries Visual Media (2024).
- Pati's Mexican Table won an IACP Award for Culinary Television Series (2024 and 2020).
- Her cookbook Treasures of the Mexican Table won an IACP Award for Best International Cookbook (2022).
- She won a Gracie Award for her work as a producer on La Frontera with Pati Jinich (2022).
- Pati's Mexican Table won James Beard Foundation Awards for Outstanding Television Program in Studio or Fixed Location (2020 and 2019).
- She won a James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Personality/Host for Pati's Mexican Table (2018).
- Pati's Mexican Table won Imagen Awards for Best Reality Program (2020 and 2018).
- She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Culinary Host (2019 and 2016).
- She cooked at the White House for President Barack Obama's Cinco de Mayo Dinner (2014).
- Pati was named to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's Kitchen Cabinet Board (2014).
See also
In Spanish: Pati Jinich para niños
