Cristina Martínez is a Mexican chef and activist for rights in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania. Martínez is an immigrant originally from Capulhuac, Mexico, with

roots tracing back to the Aztec god and Matlazinca heritage before the conquest.

She worked as a pastry chef at an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia. Martínez was

fired from the restaurant and began cooking food for other Mexican workers. As

demand for Martínez’s barbacoa grew, she started selling tacos from a cart on

weekends.

In 2015, she opened her first restaurant, South Philly Barbacoa.

In 2016, Bon Appétit named it one of the ten best new restaurants in the United

States.

In 2017, Univision produced a Spanish-language podcast about Chef Martínez

titled Mejor vete, Cristina, which won Best Multimedia Coverage at the Ortega y

Gasset Awards.

In 2018, Martínez also appeared in the acclaimed and award-winning episode of

Netflix’s Chef's Table, a series renowned for its unique and in-depth approach to

the lives and art of prominent chefs around the world.

In 2020, the chef inaugurated CASA MÉXICO, a restaurant known for its

specialty in moles. The trio of moles, her signature dish, was featured as the main

course at the prestigious FORTUNE Most Powerful Women event in 2024,

reaffirming her culinary mastery and her ability to bring authentic Mexican cuisine

to renowned stages.

In 2022, Martínez won a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef:

Mid-Atlantic.