Rick Martinez is the Mexican-American chef, cookbook author, and former Bon Appetit food editor whose 2022 cookbook Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico became a defining work on regional Mexican home cooking. Now based in Mazatlán on Mexicos Pacific coast, Martinez left his Bon Appetit Test Kitchen role in 2020 during the racial pay disparity reckoning and spent the following years traveling Mexicos 32 states researching the cookbook that would establish him as one of the most respected American voices on regional Mexican cuisine.
TL;DR
- Mexican-American chef, cookbook author, and former Bon Appetit food editor
- Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico (2022) is his defining cookbook
- Based in Mazatlán, Mexico since the early 2020s; previously based in New York City
- Left Bon Appetit Test Kitchen in 2020 during the racial pay disparity scandal
- Researched Mi Cocina by traveling all 32 Mexican states documenting regional home cooking traditions
Key facts about Rick Martinez
| Real name | Rick Martinez |
| Nationality | Mexican-American |
| Based in | Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico |
| Previous role | Bon Appetit food editor and Test Kitchen video host (until 2020) |
| Major book | Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico (2022) |
| Research method | Traveled all 32 Mexican states documenting regional home cooking |
| Heritage | Mexican-American with family roots across multiple Mexican regions |
Origins from Bon Appetit to Mazatlán
Rick Martinez built his early career through the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen, where he became a food editor and on-camera personality during the channels peak era from roughly 2018 to 2020. His video appearances established him as one of the recognizable cast members alongside Sohla El-Waylly, Priya Krishna, and the rest of the BA core. The June 2020 racial pay disparity scandal at Bon Appetit Test Kitchen was a defining moment for Martinez alongside other non-white cast members, and he departed in the cascade of resignations and contract terminations that followed.
Rather than rebuilding his career in New York, Martinez relocated to Mazatlán on Mexicos Pacific coast and began the multi-year research project that would become Mi Cocina. The cookbook was structured around his travels through all 32 Mexican states, documenting regional home cooking traditions in conversation with home cooks, market vendors, and family kitchens. The result was published in 2022 by Clarkson Potter and became one of the most-discussed Mexican cookbooks of the year, with extensive coverage in the New York Times, NPR, and food publications globally.
Rick Martinez career timeline
- Early career Works in professional kitchens and food media; develops culinary expertise in Mexican and American regional cuisines
- 2018 to 2020 Becomes Bon Appetit food editor and Test Kitchen video host; appears in BA YouTube series as part of the core cast
- June 2020 Bon Appetit Test Kitchen racial pay disparity scandal breaks; Martinez departs alongside other non-white cast members
- Early 2020s Relocates from New York City to Mazatlán, Mexico; begins traveling Mexicos 32 states for cookbook research
- October 2022 Publishes Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico with Clarkson Potter
- 2022 to 2023 Mi Cocina receives extensive critical attention; Martinez establishes himself as one of the leading American voices on regional Mexican cuisine
- 2023 to 2024 Continues recipe development and journalism work from Mazatlán; brand expansion into video content and social media
- 2025 to 2026 Remains based in Mazatlán with continued cookbook and recipe development work
Rick Martinez signature style and editorial approach
The Rick Martinez editorial signature is regional Mexican home cooking documented through deep first-hand research rather than romanticized restaurant-style framing. Mi Cocina is structured around specific Mexican regions with explicit attention to how the same dish varies across states. The framing is research-driven rather than nostalgia-driven, and Martinez is explicit about which versions of dishes come from specific Mexican family traditions rather than treating Mexican cuisine as a monolith.
The on-camera presence (during the Bon Appetit years and continuing through social media) is warm, conversational, and explicitly anti-pretentious. The writing voice extends the same energy into print, with extensive narrative about how each recipe was researched alongside the actual instructions. The approach has been editorially important in moving American food media coverage of Mexican cuisine away from the Tex-Mex-vs-authentic binary that dominated earlier writing.
Notable work: Mi Cocina and the 32-state research project
Mi Cocina (October 2022, Clarkson Potter) is a 320-page cookbook organized around Mexicos 32 states with recipes drawn from Martinezs multi-year research travels. The book covers regional specialties from each state, with explicit attention to the family kitchens, market vendors, and home cooks who taught Martinez the dishes. The structure was a deliberate editorial choice to push against the homogenized Mexican cuisine framing that dominates American food media coverage.
The book received the 2023 IACP Cookbook Award for Compilations and was nominated for the James Beard Foundation Book Award. Critical reception in the New York Times, NPR, Eater, and other outlets positioned Mi Cocina as one of the most important Mexican cookbooks published in English in years. The research framing has been particularly influential, with other food writers citing the multi-state travel approach as a model for doing meaningful primary research rather than relying on existing English-language sources.
Awards and recognition
- 2018 to 2020 Bon Appetit food editor and Test Kitchen video host during the channels YouTube peak
- October 2022 Publishes Mi Cocina to extensive critical acclaim
- 2023 Mi Cocina wins IACP Cookbook Award (Compilations category); nominated for the James Beard Foundation Book Award
- 2024 to 2026 Continues recipe and journalism work from Mazatlán; sustained brand presence
Impact and cultural relevance
Rick Martinez has become one of the most respected American voices on regional Mexican cuisine, with Mi Cocina widely cited as a defining contemporary work. The 32-state research approach has influenced how other food writers approach immigrant or international cuisines, demonstrating that meaningful primary research can sustain a single cookbook project for years and produce something genuinely original rather than recycling existing sources.
The post-Bon Appetit career arc parallels the trajectory of other 2020 BA departures including Sohla El-Waylly, Priya Krishna, and Molly Baz, with each of them having built substantial individual brands in the years since the BA Test Kitchen reckoning. Martinezs Mazatlán-based career demonstrates that food media work can be done effectively from outside the New York and Los Angeles centers that historically dominated American food publishing.
Rick Martinez FAQ
Who is Rick Martinez?
Rick Martinez is a Mexican-American chef, cookbook author, and former Bon Appetit food editor. He is best known for his 2022 cookbook Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico, researched through multi-year travels across all 32 Mexican states.
What is Mi Cocina?
Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico is Rick Martinezs 2022 cookbook with Clarkson Potter. The book is organized around Mexicos 32 states with regional recipes researched through Martinezs travels, winning the 2023 IACP Cookbook Award.
Did Rick Martinez leave Bon Appetit?
Yes. Rick Martinez departed the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen in 2020 during the racial pay disparity scandal that triggered the broader BA YouTube cast exodus. He relocated to Mazatlán, Mexico shortly after.
Where does Rick Martinez live?
Rick Martinez lives in Mazatlán, a Pacific coast city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. He relocated there in the early 2020s after departing Bon Appetit and used Mazatlán as his base for the Mi Cocina cookbook research.
How was Mi Cocina researched?
Mi Cocina was researched by Rick Martinez traveling all 32 Mexican states over several years, documenting regional home cooking traditions in conversation with home cooks, market vendors, and family kitchens. The 32-state structure became the books defining editorial framing.
What is next for Rick Martinez
Rick continues recipe development and food writing from Mazatlán, with ongoing cookbook and video work. Follow him on Instagram (@rickmartinez).
