Other
Maricel Presilla
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Chef and co-owner of Cucharamama, Maricel Presilla brings together Latin America and Spain through technique, history, and ingredient handling that stays close to the source. Born in Cuba, she has built a body of work around the elemental rather than the ornamental: careful treatment of produce, disciplined study, and a steady attention to memory and place. That combination gives the cooking clarity, but it also keeps it lived-in. Before professional kitchens became her main field, Presilla taught history at Rutgers University, and that academic training still shows in the way she writes, cooks, and thinks about tradition. Chocolate, especially Latin American chocolate production, is central to that work, and her connection to El Rey, an important Venezuelan chocolate company, anchors that focus in the realities of the bean-to-bar trade.
The Path
Rigor entered the work early through history lecturing at Rutgers University, where Maricel Presilla’s earlier career gave her a framework for research, structure, and the habit of checking food against context. That background is still present in the precision of her thinking and in the ease with which scholarship and practice sit together in her work. Today, Maricel is chef and co-owner of Cucharamama, chef and co-owner of Zafra, chef and co-owner of Ultramarinos, president of Gran Cacao Company, and contributing editor of Saveur magazine. Those roles place her across kitchens, publishing, and chocolate work, with Latin American cuisine as the common ground.
The Work Today
In Hoboken, she is chef and co-owner of Cucharamama, Zafra, and Ultramarinos, three operations that reflect the range of Maricel Presilla’s focus without separating cooking from study. Latin American cuisines and Latin American chocolate production remain at the center, with the foods of Spain held in the same frame rather than treated as an aside. The work reads as measured and informed: recipes supported by research, tasting, and historical attention. Through Gran Cacao Company, and through her editorial voice at Saveur magazine, Presilla keeps moving between restaurant work and the wider conversation around food, with each part reinforcing the other.
Signature
Maricel's signature dishes include Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America, The New Taste of Chocolate, and Peppers of the Americas. Each title marks a different part of her practice: the breadth of Latin American culinary traditions, the detail of chocolate, and the role of peppers across the Americas. Read together, they show the span of her interest in history, flavor, and method.
In Their Words “I started studying chocolate when I began to work with El Rey, an important Venezuelan chocolate company.” “Before that I had enjoyed chocolate viscerally.”
Acclaim
Maricel Presilla has received James Beard Foundation, Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (2012). Maricel's honors include Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (2012), Cookbook of the Year (2013), Best General Cookbook (2013), and Silver Spoon Award. The awards track her reach as chef, author, and interpreter of Latin American food and chocolate in the United States and beyond.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Maricel
What is Maricel Presilla's current role?
As of 2026, Maricel Presilla is Chef and Co-owner.
Where did Maricel Presilla work before?
Maricel Presilla's earlier career included Rutgers University.
What recognition has Maricel Presilla received?
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (2012).
