Deborah M. Schneider

Chef Deborah MacDonald Schneider I'm a food geek and a history nut, and I'm fascinated by the rich history, amazing culture and culinary tradition of Mexico.My cooking and writing are inspired by the laid-back surf culture of Baja California, only 20 miles from my front door, and my many travels deep into Mexico. When not at the restaurant, I can be found haunting taco stands and markets, or cooking up a storm at home.I've been a working chef for 30-plus years and I still love to travel, cook and learn from other cooks. What a wonderful adventure! So far, I've written 8 Mexican cookbooks, one of which was nominated for a James Beard Award and another, chosen by Food & Wine as 'Best of the Best'. I currently indulge my passion for Mexican food through my role as Muse/Partner/ Executive Chef for SOL Mexican Cocina (Newport Beach, California; Scottsdale Arizona; Playa Vista, California; Cherry Creek, Denver, Colorado.) Our sister concept, Solita Tacos & Margaritas, has locations in California in Huntington Beach and Valencia. At Solita I get to play with an oak-fired santa-maria grill and iron smoker, inspired by the cowboy cooking of Northern Mexico. If you like to watch and cook along, check out my two full-length cooking class series on Craftsy.com- Mexican Street Food and Mexican Comfort Food. DEB'S COOKBOOKS THE ESSENTIAL MEXICAN INSTANT POT Cook authentic Mexican recipes in the cooking device that's revolutionizing the way we cook!The best-selling Instant Pot—an electric, programmable pressure cooker—has quickly become one of the most popular kitchen appliances on the market for its hands-off and speedy-fast cooking abilities. The Essential Mexican Instant Pot Cookbook includes straightforward and streamlined recipes for favorites such as hearty posole soup, sizzling steak fajitas, tender carnitas tacos, cheesy enchiladas, stuffed tamales, classic refried beans, salsas galore, flan, churro bread pudding, and much more. SALSAS & MOLES As my Mexican friends say, the salsa IS the meal. All my most delicious and essential recipes for all kinds of salsas, both familiar and inspiring. There are salsas for dipping, mind-blowing hot sauces, enchilada sauces, chunky salsas and of course I will walk you through every step of making phenomenal moles, the queen of salsas. THE MEXICAN SLOW COOKER You'll love it! Imagine, great-tasting traditional Mexican food (think rich moles, juicy tacos, savory tamales, homey soups and delicious stews) cooked in your favorite time-saving tool - the slow cooker. ¡BAJA! COOKING ON THE EDGE introduces you to the foods and wines of Baja California. This gorgeous book, with photos by Maren Caruso, won numerous accolades, such as inclusion in Food & Wine Magazine's Best of the Best of 2006. COOKING WITH THE SEASONS AT RANCHO LA PUERTA was co-authored with Deborah Szekely, founder of the legendary fitness resort, and was nominated for a James Beard Award. If you're ready for that cocktail now, AMOR Y TACOS is a great party book, full of inpired fresh-fruit tequila drinks, tasty antojitos and fun, simple tacos with a modern twist. Photos by the amazing Sara Remington take you to the fun side of the border. WILLIAMS SONOMA'S ESSENTIALS OF LATIN COOKING WILLIAMS SONOMA'S RUSTIC MEXICAN DEB'S LINKS CHECK OUT SOL COCINA http://www.solcocina.com/ SOLITA TACOS & MARGARITAS http://solitatacos.com LEARN TO COOK IT craftsy.com Video Classes: Mexican Street Food and Mexican Comfort Food ALL THAT, BACK THEN In the early 1980's I spent 8 months on a BMW motorcycle touring France, Spain, the Canary Islands, North Africa, Italy and Greece. While living in Athens, I spent a year working as chef on a succession of luxurious charter yachts. I later worked as a yacht chef in Florida and the Caribbean before switching coasts and settling in San Diego in 1983. I reside in Pacific Beach, California with my husband Barry,a surfing animal and an omnivorous and uncomplaining diner. Both my kids can cook - my proudest accomplishment. I received my CEC ranking (Certified Executive Chef) in 2001 from the American Culinary Federation, recognizing over 20 years of professional cooking and other accomplishments. Before I stared cooking professionally, I was Executive Editor of a specialty publishing house in Toronto where I designed magazines, wrote and edited copy, and oversaw production of souvenir books for clients as diverse as the Toronto Blue Jays, Canadian Opera Company, Stratford Shakespearean Festival and Winnipeg Jets hockey team.