Cook & creator
Pati Jinich
A Mexican-born chef and public television host who has spent years explaining Mexican regional cooking and Mexican-American food traditions to a wide U.S. audience, with a particular focus on the borderlands.
- Focus:
- Regional Mexican and Mexican-American border cuisine
- Region:
- Mexico City, Mexico / Washington, D.C.
Cooking as cultural translation
Pati Jinich hosts the long-running PBS series "Pati's Mexican Table," which pairs recipes with reporting on the people and regions behind them. Her work frequently covers the U.S.-Mexico border region, including South Texas and northern Mexico, where dishes like fajitas and other grilled, marinated meats have deep roots.
Why she matters for Tex-Mex cooking
Jinich has been outspoken about the legitimacy of border and Mexican-American cooking traditions — including Tex-Mex — as authentic expressions of Mexican culinary heritage rather than a lesser derivative. That perspective is directly relevant to fajitas, a dish born in the ranching communities along that same border.
Follow their work
- Pati's Mexican Table (PBS series)
- Pati's Mexican Table (cookbook)
- Treasures of the Mexican Table (cookbook)
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Sources & further reading
- Official website — Pati Jinich
- Series and chef profile — PBS