Perhaps she isn’t your typical celebrity chef, but she’s the kind of chef you’d fall in love with—down to earth, humble and full of passion and creativity. You might also know her as the “Taco Lady”— yes, tacos are her weakness, and most likely you’ve seen her wearing one of her famous “I {heart} Tacos” t-shirts. Her cuisine is far from pretentious, it is “simple, fresh, Latin food,” said Isabel Cruz in a recent interview with VOXXI. And if you want to get know her better, she is one of the top culinary celebrities that will be participating in the Latin Food Festival, a six-city culinary tour that will take place in San Diego on September 12-15, 2013.

“Food is my passion. At breakfast I’m thinking about lunch. At lunch I’m thinking about dinner. I love the shopping, the preparing and the eating. I love the joy of a great meal. OK, I don’t love the cleaning up,” says Cruz on her website.

Meet Isabel Cruz: Author, chef and restaurateur

Isabel Cruz is a restaurateur, chef and author of “Isabel’s Cantina” (Clarkson Potter, Random House). Her self-titled cookbook was named among the “Top 25 Notable Cookbooks of 2007” in the New York Times as well as “Best of the Best” in Food and Wine’s Top 25 Cookbooks in 2007. But beyond her achievements, at the core of her being, she is a passionate, curious, foodie and cook.

Cruz grew up in Los Angeles in a Latino family where the large and frequent gatherings were always around food.

“We love to eat and cook. Everybody in my family cooks. In my family, they cook until they drop,” said Cruz in a recent interview with VOXXI.

Self-taught, friends and family from Puerto Rico, Cuba and Mexico became the early influences of her food. “I have no formal training, just my passion which is key for success. I just cook those things I grew up with and I learned how to eat and love.”

Cruz explained that besides learning from her family, the later inspiration from working on the line at different restaurants, traveling and stemming from the Japanese, Korean and Thai cooking styles Cruz started to redefine herself as a cook. “While growing up in Los Angeles, I got exposed to what the city is: A melting pot of flavors and cultures,” she said. “My sole inspiration are the bold Latin flavors I find in the Latin cuisine.”

And eventually, those Latin and Asian influences became infused in Cruz’s cooking, resulting in fresh, exotic food with bold and unique flavors. “My menu has everything I love to eat, with a twist of conscious and healthy. And it is that Latin food is so full of flavor that you don’t need to add any butter or cream. My parents never did. It’s all there already.”

Taking these fusions to the next level, Cruz started incorporating modifications in her menus, transforming these traditional, rich cuisines and dishes into healthier dishes for the everyday life. Yes, her cuisine, as she defines “it is simple, with fresh ingredients that anyone can make at home. I love simple recipes, with only a few, fresh ingredients bursting with fresh flavors.”

Chef Isabel Cruz’s Chicken Tacos (Photos courtesy of Isabel Cruz)

Her creative process is also quite simple. She creates her recipes as she speaks adding always some “olive oil, cilantro, lime, and garlic,” and they are based on what she calls “my fave base ingredients because it is all you need. Just add it to your dish and you are good to go.” Explaining that to create something new add some chile.

“I love rice and beans with a piece of roasted chicken and some fresh salsa with an Asian twist. It’s so easy and simple. It satisfies every part of my body, it’s just so good.”

But rice and beans isn’t her favorite dish. Her weakness? Tacos and tequila. “Oh, tacos!” she says laughing… “You can do and put anything on a taco…! Think of a crunchy roasted beef taco with fresh crispy lettuce on a homemade corn tortilla with onions, salsa and cilantro, served with a shot of tequila on the rocks with fresh lime… you got the best fine dining experience!”

Today, Cruz owns a farm and five restaurants, all sharing Mexican roots.

Two of the restaurants—Dragonfly, Isabel Pearl—and a farm (Stargazer Farm) are located in Oregon. “The farm, was a dream we (my husband and I) had, we always wanted to do that, but if owning a restaurant is hard, working the farm is even harder!”

The other three are located in California: Coffee Cup, in La Jolla—the first restaurant Cruz opened “in the late ’90s, somewhere between 1997 or 1998,”  and recently named to Locale Magazine’s “8 Places to Get Some of The Best Breakfast in San Diego.” Then there’s Isabel’s Cantina in San Diego, Calif.; and Barrio Star, the newest of all, located also in San Diego. At Barrio Star, “everything is made from scratch, is all homemade Mexican cuisine,” said Cruz. Barrio Star will be participating in the Taste of Latin Food Fest event where Cruz will be presenting what she calls “something very simple,” or to be more specific “homemade tortilla chips with a thin piece of (local, yet to be determined) fish crudo with avocado, cilantro lime sauce and a sliver of red chile.”

Interesting facts about the Latina chef

• She is American with Puerto Rican roots, but “I feel I’m Mexican, I feel very connected with both, Latin and Mexican culture and food.”
• In 2007, Cruz published her first cookbook, “Isabel’s Cantina: Bold Latin Flavors from the New California Kitchen,” and she did it “without having a clue what I was getting into,” she recalls. “Somebody asked me to do it; Random House called me for an interview, and after explaining to them (Random House) about my cuisine, I got an offer.” It was “literally, one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Though a great learning experience.”
• Cruz prepares and creates new recipes at home. “I’m too slow on the line now, there’s always so much going on at the restaurants all the time, I can’t cook there. So I create them at home and then I teach the recipes.” Right now, she is working on updating the menus. “I’m simplifying them and making them more seasonal.”

Finally, we spoke to Chef Isabel Cruz about participating in the Chef Throwdown at the ¡LATIN FOOD FEST!. “Honestly, I have no idea what that is or what I’ll have to do, but I like the name, it sounds fun.”

Here’s our Q&A with the Latina chef:

Q&A with Chef Isabel Cruz

Q: Do you think festivals like Latin Food Festival are overall relevant and important for the community?

A: Absolutely. I think festivals like this one are key to bring all kinds of people—both foodies and not— and our people together, to gather as Latinos, to share our roots and cultural diversity. It’s super important to get exposed to Latin culture first hand and educate palates, so they can see how diverse and emerged into food we are… Oh, I’m very excited and humbled to be part of it.

Q: What are you bringing to the festival?

A: I’m bringing my food which is my message: Simple, fresh, delicious, very Latin, that you can make yourself.

Q: What are you expecting to get out of the festival?

A: To have fun—it’s going to be a very fun event, with something for everybody; to learn new things from my peers, share and connect with them and people… and of course, have time to attend some of the amazing events…if not all, at least the Tequila seminars! I am so looking forward to it!

Latin Food Fest

Where to find Chef Cruz at Latin Food Fest

At the Chef Throwdown one of her restaurants, Barrio Star, will be participating in the Taste of Latin Food Fest event on Saturday September, 14 at PETCO Park, San Diego, Calif. And aside from the events, according to her, at the Tequila seminars as well!

About the Latin Food Fest

From September 12-15, 2013, the Latin Food Festival will bring together more than 70 wineries, distillers, chefs, restaurants and artisan food makers to educate palates and entertain guests with the best of Baja food while gathering resources to fight hunger in San Diego and deliver drinkable water to Baja.

Tickets range from $45 to $300 depending on the event and package. To learn more about Latin Food Festival, visit LatinFoodFest.com.

Isabel Cruz’s Fruit with Tequila Honey Sauce

Chef Isabel Cruz’s Fruit with Tequila Honey Sauce (Photos courtesy of Isabel Cruz)

Ingredients

Servings vary

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup gold tequila

4 oranges peeled and sliced into half circles

1 pint raspberries

1 mango peeled and cubed

2 kiwis, peeled and sliced into half circles

1/4 cup chopped mint and or cilantro

1 serrano chile sliced into thin circles, optional

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup gold tequila (add more or less to taste)

Directions

Whisk honey and tequila together, set aside. Gently toss fruit, mint and or cilantro and serrano (optional) together, drizzle with tequila honey sauce. Serve.

To learn more about Isabel Cruz, visit IsabelsCantina.com.

Read more: http://www.voxxi.com/chef-isabel-cruz-beyond-the-whites/#ixzz2REvdcQYd

Latin Food Fest will be descending upon San Diego to pay homage to Southern California and Northern Baja this September with a 4-day extravaganza. Beginning this Friday, April 12th, Visa cardholders can order online tickets to the many events the festival will be highlighting in San Diego later this year.

From September 12 – 15, the festival will bring together more than 70 wineries, distillers, chefs, restaurants, and artisan food makers to expand palates and entertain guests with the best of Baja food. All the while, the fest will be doing some good in the process: gathering resources to fight hunger in San Diego and deliver drinkable water to Baja.

Don’t miss: the opening Churros and Chocolate Breakfast for a sweet start to the weekend; Preparing and Prepping Spanish Tapas and Wine, a seminar on how to pair your favorite small bites; and the James Beard Baja-Med Dinner Benefit, a four-course tasting menu prepared by chef Miguel Angel Guerrero from La Querencia in Tijuana Mexico, chef Chad White of PlanCha Baja Med in San Diego, and chef Pablo Salas of Restaurante Amaranta from Toluca, Mexico.

Also featured will be ¡Fest! At Night, a wine, spirits, and tapas tasting, an Iron Mixologist Competition, and a full day of Chefs at the Park, which offers guests a chance to attend cooking demos and grab small plates and cocktails from your favorite chefs and mixologists at PETCO Park at the Park.

You’ll also get a chance to chat with participating chefs such as Chef Lala, Martin Gonzalez of Acqua Al 2, Isabel Cruz, Paul Bauer of Café Sevilla, Javier Plascencia from Mision 19, Drew Deckman from the Valle’s newest hotspot Deckman’s En El Mogor, and the ever-popular Aarón Sánchez.

Tickets range from $45 to around $300 depending on the event, with plenty of packages available should you want to turn the fest into a weekend getaway. Get your ticket before they sell out (they’re going fast!)

FRUIT WITH TEQUILA HONEY SAUCE

1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup gold tequila

4 oranges peeled and sliced into half circles
1 pint raspberries
1 mango peeled and cubed
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced into half circles
1/4 cup chopped mint and or cilantro
1 serrano chilie sliced into thin circles

1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup gold tequila (add more or less to taste)

Whisk honey and tequila together, set aside.
Gently toss fruit, mint and or cilantro and serrano (optional)
together, drizzle with tequilla honey sauce. Serve.

URL: http://www.facebook.com/notes/collaboration-kitchen/fruit-with-tequila-honey-sauce-isabel-cruz/10151656958283084

Only problem? There are 187 restaurants this year. A boatload. So I Casey Kasem’d the list down to theRESTAURANT WEEK TOP 40. After eating at a majority over the last six years, I feel your path to enlightenment lays with these—the best, the brightest, the newest, the most generous. I thought about doing a Top 10, but every year the Top 10 are sold out or only have 5PM reservations available. Plus, maybe you just feel like sushi tonight, not fancypants California-Franco cuisine. Or, let’s say you don’t want to drive to La Jolla. This list will give you a quality handful of options—different cuisine, price range, menu—depending on your mood, appetite and geographical concerns.

I then went through every menu and pretended like I was ordering. By no means follow my menu choices. I just liked spending five hours of my day role-playing. And it gives you a decent idea of what they’re serving. Click on any portion of our selects to go to the full menu.

Barrio Star

Isabel Cruz is one of the best Mexican chefs in the city. The New York Times named her 2008 book, Isabel’s Cantina one of the year’s most notable. This is her laidback showcase on Bankers Hill.

WHAT I’D ORDER…

Appetizer: Cup of pozole of the day
Entree: Pepita-crusted local seabass w/ jalapeño lime sauce, Mexican rice and steamed greens
Dessert: Flamed bananas

URL: http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/Blogs/SD-Food-News/Fall-Winter-2012/THE-TOP-40-San-Diego-Restaurant-Week/

1109 Wall St. | La Jolla, CA 92037
Neighborhood: La Jolla
858-551-8514 | www.isabelscantina.com
Wake Up With: The Omar Special
Egg whites scrambled with cheese, green onions & tomatoes, topped with grilled chicken & mushrooms with brown rice, pesto and avocado sauce

A tiny diner on a bustling street, Coffee Cup Café stands out among the crowds. Red umbrellas cover the cozy patio that you enter through, and colorful art and booths occupy the one-room restaurant. The Coffee Cup is a place where the coffee has a kick and the food is always fun. Recipes can be read from the upholstery on the booths, and a giant vibrant mural shrouds the space with hearts and coffee cups, sunny-side-up eggs, chickens and salt and pepper shakers. It all makes you feel like sunshine and rainbows in the morning. You can see even more mural art in the bathroom, too! Latin splashes touch each corner of this little joint, and this influence really brings the tiny eatery to life. The food is as colorful as its surroundings. The menu is printed on bright pink paper and offers items like Double Happiness and the Zen Breakfast. It also boasts more than 30 sides to add to any meal. The Breakfast Tacos with home-made corn tortillas were delicious, but the plate that won our prize was Chef de Cuisine Omar Guzman’s very own creation: The Omar Special. A picturesque plate of eggs, chicken and rice, topped with farmer’s market veggies and a divine pesto and avocado sauce, Omar’s Special didn’t last long. Our team of taste-testers couldn’t get enough of the fusion of flavors in the seemingly simple breakfast dish. A blend of Latin, Italian and Asian essences made this morning meal a standout on our eight-stop breakfast bonanza.

Native Knowledge: You may have noticed a similar stamp in other Chino-Latino-style restaurants throughout the area, and that’s probably because the Coffee Cup’s owner is Isabel Cruz who owns five other eateries around town. She was also the original owner of The Mission Restaurant. We love that her Latin flavors have become a legend in San Diego.

URL: http://www.localemagazine.com/8-places-to-get-some-of-the-best-breakfast-in-san-diego/

2706 Fifth Avenue, Bankers Hill

The Scene: We spotted lots of couples, a table full of guys, and another full of girls out for happy hour in this colorful boîte. But no matter, people were here to eat rather than meet on Taco Tuesday. Drink: The generous Mexican mojito spiked with cilantro, jalapeño, basil, and white tequila (rather than rum) is refreshing and herbal. Daily happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. brings $4 beers while regular margaritas, sangria, and select wines are $5.Nibble: Cucumbers in a tangy cumin-cilantro vinaigrette are addictive and healthy; more indulgent is the pequeño bowl with frijoles, carnitas, cheese, and salsa for $5, while tacos are $3 to $4 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; check for daily specials.

URL: http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/San-Diego-Magazine/December-2012/High-End-Happy-Hours/Bankers-Hill-Happy-Hours/

Chef Isabel Cruz’s Bread Pudding with Mexican Chocolate & Almonds is featured by King’s Hawaiian!

http://www.kingshawaiian.com/recipes/isabels-bread-pudding-with-mexican-chocolate-and-almonds/

Perfect for the holidays!

Ingredients
Butter, For the pan
3 Large eggs
1 ½ C Half and half
2 Tbsp Packed light-brown sugar
1 C Almonds, sliced
Mexican Chocolate
(Makes 1 ½ cups. Recipe follows)
1 C Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 C Sugar
1 Tbsp Ground cinnamon
Combine the chocolate chips, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container.
KING’S HAWAIIAN Sweet Round Bread sliced thick enough to fill a 9-inch pie plate, split in half

Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.
Step 2
Combine the eggs, half-and-half, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Whisk and combine.
Step 3
Dip the sliced KING’S HAWAIIAN Bread into the egg mixture, turning once. The bread should absorb the egg mixture but not to the point of falling apart.
Step 4
Fill a buttered pie plate, with a layer of the sliced dipped King’s Hawaiian bread.
Step 5
Sprinkle 1 cup of the Mexican chocolate over the dinner rolls and then ½ cup of the almonds.
Step 6
Dip another layer of KING’S HAWAIIAN Bread on top. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup Mexican chocolate and the remaining ½ cup almonds over the top.
Step 7
Bake the bread pudding approximately 45 to 60 minutes until it is puffy and dry on top but still moist inside.
Step 8
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before cutting and serving.
Chef Isabel Cruz says:
Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. The bread pudding can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Prop 37: GMOs & Your Right To Know: You have a right to know which foods contain genetically modified ingredients. Hold the companies that profit from the sale of GMOs responsible for labeling them appropriately.