NWI Events - Chef Daisy Martinez

Last Updated on Friday, 02 July 2010 01:08 Friday, 02 July 2010 01:06

NWI EVENTS

CHEF DAISY MARTINEZ @ THE VENUE
By: Mona Dickinson

Tickets are still available for a very special culinary event on Sunday, July 18, as Chef Daisy Martinez of the Food Network brings her love for cooking to The Venue at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond. Martinez will show how to turn everyday meals into unforgettable memories to be shared with family and friends in the 4 p.m. show.

Martinez will showcase recipes from her new cookbook - Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night, which combines timeless Latin American dishes with vibrant recipes from Spain, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Argentina.

To say Martinez is passionate about food is an extreme understatement as she thrives on sharing her culture—its music, history, and most of all, its food. A chance meeting with food icon Rachael Ray led to Ray’s company producing Viva Daisy, on the Food Network, as a follow-up to the PBS show, Daisy Cooks.

At the Venue event, you will learn how to make the Latin staple dish Arroz con Pollo (a traditional rice with chicken dish) and Daisy’s own version of Cleriquot for a festive Cinco de Mayo or any other summer celebration. Cleriquot is the Argentine cousin to white sangria. Daisy’s recipe for the drink can be found in her new book, Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night.

The afternoon will also include ideas on how to spice up your next dinner party with Arroz con Pollo, Mussels with Corn and Tomatoes and a beautiful Borinquen Sunset dessert.

Limited tickets are still available – beginning at $75 for on-stage seating which offers an interactive experience with Martinez.  Included are tasting opportunities as she prepares an incredible menu and a signed copy of her book.

Additional front table seating will accommodate 220 guests are $45 each, which also includes a signed book. Orchestra tickets are $20 each and mezzanine seating is $15 each.

A Brooklyn native, Martinez lived at her grandmother's house until she was almost five years old.   Between her grandmother, Valentina, and her mother, Conchita, she learned that the kitchen is the happiest room in the household, filled with love, family, and delicious food. With an extended family of relatives from Central America, Spain, and other parts of the Spanish-speaking world, Martinez grew up appreciating the diversity of Latin cuisine.

She met her husband, Dr. Jerry Lombardo, while attending Long Island University. Martinez dedicated herself to raising her family, and often hosted festive gatherings, featuring delicious food - a tradition that she happily continues to this day. He sent her to cooking school as a birthday gift and Martinez pursued a lifelong dream.

She launched her new career with Daisy Cooks! on PBS in 2005, and her cookbook, Daisy Cooks! Latin Flavors that Will Rock Your World, which was an IACP nominee, and American Category Finalist, as well as winner of the Best Latino Cuisine Cookbook in the World by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

Viva Daisy! continued her focus on celebrating life and family through food, while demonstrating her knowledge of the broad spectrum of Latin cuisine.  In addition to the show, Martinez is also a regular columnist for Every Day with Rachael Ray and Selecciones magazines.

Martinez said she hopes to get people excited about the diversity of Latino food and says her cooking is always user-friendly.

Her cooking is a peek into her life, her home and her kitchen, as Martinez has shared her family and her heritage with the public, through sharing meals that she has shared with her own family and friends.

Though her inspiration and heroine, her Abuela, Valentina Martinez Perez, passed away at 99 years old, she left a wonderful legacy rich in memories and love. While she is sorely missed, Martinez is ever appreciative to her for teaching her the love and nurturing of family and friends through food.

Martinez is continuously featured as a guest on popular TV shows all over the country, and travels all over the USA and abroad for cooking demonstrations and books signings.

A dedicated mother of four fantastic children, Daisy and her family reside in Brooklyn, NY, where her husband is a medical doctor.

For more information on this special culinary event at The Venue at the Horseshoe Casino on July 18, visit www.horseshoehammond.com.

To learn more about Daisy Martinez, her books and shows, you can visit www.daisymartinez.com,www.daisycooks.com or www.thefoodnetwork.com.