Where to Start with Maricel Presilla
Maricel E. Presilla is a Cuban-born chef, culinary historian, and one of the world’s foremost authorities on cacao and Latin American food. She holds a doctorate in medieval Spanish history from New York University and grew up around cacao on her grandmother’s farm in Cuba’s Baracoa region. That dual background, rigorous scholarship and lived sensory knowledge, runs through all her work. She is the chef and co-owner of Cucharamama in Hoboken, New Jersey, and president of Gran Cacao Company, which works directly with Latin American cacao farmers. In 2012, she became the first Latin American woman invited as a guest chef at the White House, and that same year she won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. Her book “Gran Cocina Latina” won the James Beard Cookbook of the Year in 2013. She is also the founder of the International Chocolate Awards, the world’s largest independent chocolate competition.
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The New Taste of Chocolate, Revised
Maricel E. Presilla · 256 pages · 2009 · Moderate
Themes: cacao history, chocolate science, bean-to-bar, Latin American food culture, recipes
The definitive cultural and natural history of cacao, revised and expanded from the original 2001 edition. Presilla traces chocolate from ancient Maya and Aztec rituals through colonial trade routes to modern bean-to-bar production, combining scholarly research with recipes from world-class pastry chefs and chocolatiers.
Why Start Here
This is Presilla’s most focused and accessible book. It draws on her unique combination of academic training and hands-on experience as a cacao importer and chocolate expert. You get the full story of where chocolate comes from, how different cacao varieties create different flavors, and why terroir matters as much for cacao as it does for wine. The recipes at the back reward you for all that understanding with practical ways to cook with chocolate. No other single volume covers the subject with this range, from plantation to kitchen.
What to Expect
A 256-page hardcover with color photography that works as both a reference and a reading experience. The first half is cultural history and cacao science. The second half is recipes, including contributions from renowned pastry chefs. The writing is clear and warm but grounded in real scholarship. Best for curious cooks and chocolate lovers who want to understand what they are tasting, not just follow a recipe.