Maricel is a chef, author and co-owner of Cucharamama, Zafra and Ultramarinos in Hoboken, New Jersey. She was the first Latin American woman to have been invited as a guest chef at the White House. She was twice nominated for James Beard Foundation journalism awards. She won Best Chef Mid-Atlantic in May 2012 from the James Beard Foundation, which also named her book, Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America, Cookbook of the Year.