Spice Kitchen: Healthy LatinX and Caribbean Cuisine

From an award-winning chef and winner of Hell’s Kitchen comes an innovative and healthy approach to LatinX and Caribbean cuisines. About five years ago Chef Ariel Fox decided to revamp her lifestyle, learn about nutrition, and get in the best shape of her life while maintaining a connection to the foods she grew up with. And now she is here to share decades of knowledge and expertise with you. In Spice Kitchen: Healthy LatinX and Caribbean Cuisines Chef Fox introduces you to both classic LatinX and Caribbean recipes as well as innovative new dishes in a way that works with all lifestyles. Featuring information on how to optimize your pantry, easy to follow recipes, and helpful suggestions to adapt the dishes to any diet, this book has something for everyone. Whether you are looking for healthier alternatives for the nostalgic flavors of your childhood or are new to LatinX and Caribbean cuisines, this cookbook will be an excellent addition to your kitchen.

In 2001, upon graduating from the California School of Culinary Arts’ Le Cordon Bleu Le Grand Diplôme Program—the institute’s most comprehensive program in French culinary education—Chef Ariel was hired as a line cook at the Venice Beach celebrity haunt, Globe, and quickly moved up the ranks to sous chef within an eight-month span. In 2006 she was named chef de cuisine at Nic’s in Beverly Hills. Chef Ariel was part of the opening team of STK in West Hollywood in 2007 and soon thereafter relocated to Manhattan and was appointed as the executive sous chef for STK’s parent hospitality company, The ONE Group. In her new corporate role, Chef Ariel launched multiple ONE Group restaurants, streamlining the culinary programs for STK outposts in Las Vegas, Miami, and Midtown Manhattan. In 2008, while working with the ONE Group, Chef Ariel was selected to compete on “Hell’s Kitchen,” the smash FOX television series hosted by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, and became a top three finalist on the show’s sixth season. Eventually she teamed up with renowned Danish chef and restaurateur, Mads Refslund, who shared her passion for organic, sustainable cuisine. Chef Ariel was subsequently appointed as Chef de Cuisine of Mads’ soon-to-be-open NoHo restaurant, ACME, co-creating its culinary program and playing a vital role in the restaurant’s overwhelmingly successful launch. In November of 2012, Executive Chef Ariel was the creative force behind the Flatiron’s New American kitchen and bar, Harding’s. Employing classic techniques and seasonal ingredients from the local farmers market, Chef Ariel incorporated influences from her West Coast roots and flashes of nostalgia that appear throughout Harding’s menu of artisanal American cuisine. At Beck and Call Catering, Chef Ariel continued to share her vision and passion for natural food preparation in an array of culinary events throughout the greater New York area.