Meet Chef Maria 👩‍🍳

We love introducing you to members of our team - the faces behind the foods we bring our community. Chef Maria is one of our recent additions. She leads our Deli and Catering crew. She works closely with our Culinary Director/GM Sergio Martinez (remember him from a prior post?), and with her team to bring customers prepared foods ranging from ready meals, grab-and-go foods and all Deli and Catering offerings.

Can you tell us about some of the new dishes you've been adding to THE MARKET deli? 

In line with THE MARKET's vision, I've been working with my team to make dishes that are seasonal and healthy. My focus is to further our goal to bring our community really high quality food, the kind you want to make at home, but might be pressed for time. And whenever possible, we use clean, local ingredients - like our fresh produce from our locally recognized Produce Shop. I really love all the variety that's at my fingertips from the local farms all around us in California.

What's your favorite cuisine?

I love to create dishes of all kinds, but if I had to pick one, it's hands down, Mediterranean. For me, that's a cuisine that sits at the center of delicious, vibrant and at the same time really healthy. We're rotating in dishes like Moussakas, Kale Falafel with Creamy Tahini Sauce, Tabbouleh, for example."

What's your favorite new item?

I love and highly recommend our new Tahini grab and go salad with grilled Halloumi cheese.

>> Fun fact: The island of Cyprus is the birthplace of Halloumi, and it's the only cheese you can actually grill!

Chef Maria comes to us with nearly 20 years of experience gained through her adventures at catering companies and restaurants. You can find her in our Deli - be sure to stop by and say hello!