Cook's pal lands Hispanic-fare show
Rachael Ray is giving Food Network fans a taste of the Hispanic kitchen.
Ray is producing a new show for the network starring actress and cookbook author Daisy Martinez. The weekly “Viva Daisy!” premieres today and runs for six weeks. The show is the network’s second focused on Hispanic foods, joining Ingrid Hoffman’s “Simply Delicioso.”
Martinez previously hosted public television’s Hispanic foods-focused “Daisy Cooks.” The new show will be the first from Ray’s production company, Watch Entertainment, that doesn’t feature Ray.
The collaboration began after Ray and Martinez bonded while participating in a panel discussion together. Ray says she knew immediately she wanted to give Martinez a bigger platform from which to talk about Hispanic foods.
“She can’t tell you about a recipe without telling you why you would want to make it,” Ray said by phone. “Which is so much more important to me than learning a technique.”
Martinez said she hopes to use the show to get people excited about the diversity of Hispanic food. And although she won’t limit herself to Ray’s signature 30-minute meals, Martinez says her cooking is always user-friendly.
“It’s really going to be a peek into my life, into my home, into my kitchen,” she said. “I’m going to be sharing my family with you, sharing meals that we have.”
Jocks, nerds, burnouts and stoners: The names may vary, but students at almost every high school know the labels.