LOURDES CASTRO
Lourdes Castro has built her career on the love of teaching all things culinary. As previous owner to a well-received recreational cooking school in Miami, in 2007 the Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables, Florida approached her to design and create their first on-premise recreational cooking school and function as its director. In addition to her work with the Biltmore, Lourdes serves as a part-time instructor at New York University's Food Studies department where she teaches courses in food science. It is this ability to effectively explain culinary concepts and techniques as easily in an academic classroom as in an informal and relaxed kitchen environment that caught the attention of publisher Ten Speed Press.
Lourdes is the author of two cookbooks Simply Mexican (2009) and Eat, Drink, Think in Spanish (2009). She earned the distinction having her first cookbook, Simply Mexican, selected by Food & Wine magazine as one of the 25 best cookbooks of 2009. Lourdes is currently working on her third cookbook due out Spring 2011, which will focus on Latin grilling.
Born in Miami to Cuban parents, Lourdes is fluent in both English and Spanish. She has served as a personal translator for such noteworthy chefs as Juan Mari Arzak, Pedro Subijana, Dani Garcia, Paco Torreblanca, Harold McGee, and Tetsuya Wakuda for events held by The James Beard Foundation, Madrid Fusion Culinary Conference, StarChefs.com, and South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Her language skills have afforded her other opportunities including being chosen by Bacardi USA in 2006 to be the face of a video series where she created and explained rum based recipes and cocktails in both English and Spanish.
Lourdes made her first move to New York City in 1990 to pursue her education. As an undergraduate, she attended New York University where she obtained a degree in Nutrition and Food. Shortly thereafter, Lourdes went on to Columbia University where she earned a Masters degree in nutritional sciences. Subsequent to graduating from Columbia, Lourdes obtained her first teaching position at NYU's Food Studies department. During that time she also served as an associate at the James Beard Foundation.
Lourdes' dream of owning her own business was realized in 2001with the creation of the Ars Magirica Cooking School in Miami. With the school in full swing, Lourdes recognized the need for a private chef catering service and utilized her pool of chef instructors for such a task. The private chef branch of her business turned into a very successful venture, attracting a niche market of local, professional athletes including Alonzo Mourning and Eddy Jones who were in need of nutritious meals personally prepared for them. Lourdes sold this business in 2006 in order to pursue other opportunities.
Lourdes has been profiled in such noteworthy publications as Food & Wine magazine, Ocean Drive, Miami Luxury Living, The Miami Herald, Ocean Drive en Espaņol, and El Nuevo Herald. She was featured on a QVC special to lsell her cookbook and her recipes have appeared in Men's Health, The New York Times, South Hampton Press, Pittsburg Tribune, and The Seattle Times.
Lourdes is an active member of Les Dames d'Escoffier and was selected by the organization to contribute a recipe for their cookbook, Cooking with Les Dames d'Escoffier (2009). She currently lives in New York City.
