Daisy Martinez was born to
stateside Puerto Rican parents in
Brooklyn, New York, and they lived with her grandmother until she was almost five years old. From her grandmother, Valentina, and her mother, Conchita, she developed an appreciation of Latin cuisine. She attended
Long Island University, where she met her first husband. Before becoming a TV chef, Martinez was an actress and model. She became the
Martinez Valero Girl for the
Spanish shoe company by the same name. She appeared in American commercials for Ford, and in Spanish-language commercials for AT&T. She has also appeared in
Carlito’s Way and
Scent of a Woman. In 1998, Martinex matriculated at the
French Culinary Institute, where she won first prize for her final project, "The Passionate Palate". Shortly after graduation, Daisy worked on the set of PBS'
Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen as a prep-kitchen chef. In 2005, she did
Daisy Cooks for PBS. She worked as a private chef in New York City for three years. In addition, Martinez managed a small catering business, "The Passionate Palate", which she continues to operate. One of her books was IACP nominee and winner of the Best Latino Cuisine Cookbook in the World by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. In January 2009, she hosted a six episode series,
Viva Daisy!, on
Food Network. Raised in
Eltingville, Staten Island, Martinez has resided in
Park Slope,
Brooklyn. She is divorced from her husband Jerry, a medical doctor. She is the mother of four children: Marc, Erik, David, and Angela. ==References==