Marcela Luz Valladolid was born on July 19, 1978, in San Diego, California. Growing up, she spent time on both sides of the US-Mexico border, immersed in the flavors and cooking traditions of Tijuana and Baja California. Her culinary path began when she started working at her aunt Marcela’s cooking school in Tijuana as a teenager. 

Valladolid then enrolled at the Los Angeles Culinary Institute, where she became a certified cook. She then moved to Paris to train at the Ritz Escoffier Cooking School, graduating as a classically trained pastry chef. After returning to Tijuana, she ran her own catering company and taught cooking classes. She later joined Bon Appétit magazine as an editor and recipe stylist.

Marcela Valladolid made her TV debut in 2005 as a competitor on CBS’s The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, finishing fourth. She gained recognition as the host of Mexican Made Easy, which premiered in 2010. In 2014, she joined the cast of Food Network’s popular morning talk-cooking show The Kitchen. She left the show in October 2017 to focus more on her family. She has since appeared as a judge on Best Baker in America and as a guest on other Food Network shows.