Martha Ortiz

The Climb

Training at University gave Martha Ortiz a formal base before the work moved abroad. In Hong Kong and Paris, France, she worked as chef in professional kitchens, where brigade discipline and the pace of international service became part of the craft itself. That experience reads less as travel than as calibration: a way of sharpening timing, control, and point of view. The line she has drawn from those rooms is clear in her own words: "Kitchens should be like orchestras where each instrument has its own time and rhythm." Over time, that discipline became a practice of accumulation rather than display. Martha Ortiz built a career through distinct roles: owner of Dulce Patria (since 2009), owner of Ella Canta (since 2017), and judge of Top Chef Mexico. Each position uses a different part of the trade—running restaurants, shaping rooms, and applying judgment on camera—but they all point back to the same standard of exactness.

Today

The restaurants carry the work; the role as judge sits beside them, not in place of them. Ortiz owns Dulce Patria in Mexico City and Ella Canta in London, England, extending her authorship across two cities with different audiences and the same level of control. The result is a practice built on recognition of place and consistency of execution. Mexico City and London are not treated as separate identities so much as two sites for the same measured language of rhythm, order, and intent.

Signature

Martha's signature dishes include Pink Mole, Vampire Ceviche, Green Guacamole, Magical Town Eggs, and Solar Chilaquiles. The naming carries a sense of play, but the list also shows a kitchen attentive to color, memory, and identity. These plates suggest a cook working with recognition as well as flavor, where presentation and naming are part of the craft language.

In Their Words “I love them all; the Pink Mole with chicken is delicious and spicy, but probably, due to its name, I have a weakness for ¡Ya Basta!… Concepción.” “Kitchens should be like orchestras where each instrument has its own time and rhythm.” Read together, the two lines point to a chef who thinks in terms of structure, timing, and the arrangement of parts. The first shows attachment to the work itself; the second names the method. In Martha Ortiz’s kitchen, order is not the opposite of expression—it is the condition for it.

Recognition

Martha's honors include Top 40 Best Chefs in the World and Nominated as one of the 100 most influential people in Mexico in 100 por Mexico. The distinctions mark reach, but they also confirm a body of work that has stayed legible across restaurants, cities, and formats without losing its own shape.