My creative practice bridges the visual arts and culinary worlds, exploring storytelling through both mediums. Growing up in a Mexican enclave on the east side of Aurora, IL, where my parents settled after immigrating from northwestern Mexico, I was immersed in the rich narratives that food and culture can tell. This foundation led me to art school, where I began exploring different forms of visual storytelling.
A transformative Fulbright student research grant took me to Peru and Bolivia, where I studied the relationship between oral traditions and the ancient art of back-strap weaving. This experience fundamentally shifted my understanding of how art can preserve and transmit cultural memory – much like the way recipes pass down family histories through generations.
In 2015, I moved to the East End of Long Island to work in the art world, but found myself increasingly drawn to food as my primary creative medium. This led to an apprenticeship with cookbook author and TV host Ina Garten, where I discovered that crafting recipes could be as nuanced and expressive as creating visual art. The kitchen became my studio, where I could compose with flavors, textures, and cultural traditions.
Today, I work as a recipe developer and New York Times Cooking contributor, while writing about food and motherhood on my Substack newsletter. My work continues to explore the intersection of visual aesthetics, cultural storytelling, and the deeply personal act of feeding others. I live in East Hampton, NY with my husband Bill Delano, our daughter Francesca, and our terriers Freyja & Conchita.
