Quotes from Marcela Valladolid

I cook healthy meals all the time. That's really important to me.

My life revolves around chipotles.

The more you make an effort, the more life gives you things to be grateful for.

I'm a purist when it comes to certain foods, and al pastor tacos (known as adobada tacos to us in Tijuana) is one of those foods. I lived off them - literally.

There's a design book I got years ago that had a statue of a dog with a bunch of hats on it, and I just obsessively fell in love with it. For years I searched for that dog. One day I walked into an antique shop in La Jolla and I found a white dog that I could put hats on!

Entertaining is much more than a reason to eat and drink; It's a reason to bond with friends and families.

I was a contestant on 'The Apprentice: Martha Stewart' and more than her telling me I learned from her that authenticity is key. She had a huge issue with a contestant using the phrase 'fake it 'til you make it' and fired her that same episode. She taught me that you can't fake being a master of your craft.

I love warm salads with bacon and spinach. I love the varieties of the nicoise that show up on so many menus. I love steak salads for their lusciousness and how the meat juices seep into the dressing.

Simplicity is key. Some people like really high-tech kitchens, where you have warming drawers and ice makers and storage for a million different things. Honestly, for me, I need an oven, a stove top, a fridge and a sink.

For me, candlelit is the only way to have a dinner. There are always candles at my table. And I like to have Luis Miguel playing in the background.

Quesadillas, those are my comfort food.

I surround myself with people that are supportive of our insane family dynamic, and I savor every minute of every day I have at home with my family.

You're only as good as the people who you surround yourself with.

I really only eat burritos in Tijuana from street corners that come out of coolers from businesses with no name, telephone or website.

We do two things almost every week - either grilled steaks marinated in herbs or roasted chicken. There's always a roasted vegetable, like Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes or broccolini - whatever's in season.

Typically a weekend retreat for the heart, soul and palate, brunch is the perfect way to unwind and reconnect.

I like risk takers. They're the ones that end up changing the world.

From the time I start prep to serving the food at the table, I like for the whole thing to be beautiful.

I'm usually pretty good about knowing which of my social media posts will create more excitement, but every once in a while I'll post something and be totally surprised at the response.

When I'm in San Diego, it's carpools and making dinner and getting the kids to bed. It's real life.

Tart pomegranates that pop in your mouth make the perfect counterpoint to roasted chicken and salty-creamy feta cheese.

One summer, when I was on break from architecture school in Tijuana, my aunt gave me a summer job cleaning up and peeling garlic, and I got to see her in her element. She was so passionate and such a good teacher, I decided to quit architecture school and go to culinary school in Los Angeles.

San Diego, in fact, is one of the hardest places to sell Mexican food. You just cross the border into Tijuana and they have better food that's more authentic and for half the price.

We didn't grow up with processed foods at all. I mean, I am not a nutritionist. I make enchiladas for a living, so that disclaimer needs to be there.