Ana Liz Pulido is a Mexican-American chef and restaurateur. In 2024 she won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Texas.
Ana Liz Pulido | |
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| Born | 1997 or 1998 (age 26–27)[1] |
| Education | Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio |
| Culinary career | |
Current restaurant(s)
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Award(s) won
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Early life and education
editPulido grew up in Mexico, where her father, Armando, owned two taquerias and a hotel in Reynosa, Mexico,[2][3][4] and in the United States.[4] As a teenager she sold chamoyadas, marranadas, crepes, and chorreados at a walk-up space, which she name Aliz, near one of her father's restaurants.[2][4] In the Rio Grande Valley, she sold Nutella pies to classmates until administrators at her high school shut down the business; she promptly moved it off campus.[4]
Pulido attended the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, graduating in 2019.[5][4] She did an externship at Pappasito’s Cantina.[4]
Career
editAfter graduating from culinary school, Pulido worked in a restaurant at Tower of the Americas, after which she found space in a shopping center and renovated it into a restaurant.[4]
Pulido owns Ana Liz Taqueria in Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley region, which she opened in 2021.[2][6] As of 2024 the restaurant has only five tables.[2] After her tortilla supplier moved from the area, Pulido learned how to make her own from scratch, including nixtamalization of the corn.[2][5][4][1] Texas Monthly called the restaurant "pilgrimage-worthy", crediting the tortillas and the tacos from which they're made.[4]
Recognition
editIn 2024 Pulido won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Texas.[6] In 2023 she was a semifinalist in the same category.[5]
Personal life
editPulido lives in Mission, Texas.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Reinhart, Brian (11 June 2024). "Yes, Dallas, We Should Be Angry About the James Beard Awards". D Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Yip, Isabel (2024-06-11). "South Texas taquería owner wins prestigious James Beard best chef award". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ a b Rocha, IV, Samuel (2024-06-11). "Rio Grande Valley chef named 'Best Chef in Texas' during James Beard Awards". NPR. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ralat, José R. (2022-03-29). "Ana Liz Taqueria in Mission Is a Pilgrimage-Worthy Spot". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ a b c Maldonado, Diana Eva (10 June 2024). "Mission taqueria owner named James Beard winner". Valley Central.
- ^ a b Goldstein, Li (2024-06-11). "These Are the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award Winners, 2024". Bon Appétit. Retrieved 2024-06-12.