To Pati Jinich, the word “border” sounds forbidding. She much prefers the Spanish name, “La Frontera,” or “frontier,” suggesting not just one place, but the beginning of another, a place of origins, opportunity, and invention. Throughout her zigzag travels in the US and Mexico, Pati shows that where our two nations meet, exciting things happen, and nowhere is that more true than in food. After all, several of the world’s favorites were born in La Frontera: nachos, burritos, Caesar Salad, and margaritas.

As Pati reveals, the food of the Borderlands is richer and more varied than in any single Mexican state. Though it’s often equated with Tex-Mex food, it’s much more than that, encompassing styles from all over Mexico. And when it is Tex-Mex, it comes in a surprising range of forms and flavors—from the outstanding barbecue with pickled jalapeño slaw and grilled corn in Marfa, West Texas, to the silkiest queso with roasted poblanos in the Rio Grande Valley.

In Foods of La Frontera, Pati Jinich casts the border in a new, delicious light, sharing essential recipes from the borderlands, even for desserts.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Pati Jinich is host of the 4x James Beard Award–winning PBS television series Pati’s Mexican Table, the James Beard Award–winning PBS primetime docuseries La Frontera, and Panamericana. She is resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, DC, and a cookbook author. A former political analyst, she switched policy papers for cooking pots to make exploring and sharing Mexico’s cuisine her life’s work. Recently named to the Washington Post’s “Post Next: 50 People Shaping Our Society in 2025,” she is the 2026 James Beard Award's Broadcast Media Hall of Fame Honoree. The International Association for Culinary Professionals awarded her the 2025 IACP Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the Culinary World. She has cooked at the White House for President Obama’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. The Council of the Americas named Pati one of the “Top 5 Border Ambassadors” who have performed outstanding work bringing the United States and Mexico closer together in their Americas Quarterly (AQ) magazine. She was also named one of the National Immigration Forum’s “Keepers of the American Dream,” which honors individuals who embody the spirit of immigrant achievement and contribute to the well-being of immigrants in the US.

She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband. They have three sons and a dog named Mila.