Lourdes Castro

Professor and chef Lourdes Castro is passionate about teaching and cooking and is as comfortable in the classroom as she is in the kitchen. She was her own first student, teaching herself how to cook while in graduate school. Lourdes's initial experiments in the kitchen lead to her profound understanding of food and flavor. Her self-taught background helps her relate to her students, contributing to her dynamic and accessible teaching style. Lourdes entered the culinary world as a college student at New York University, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Food in 1990. She then attended Columbia University, earning a Master's in Nutritional Sciences. Lourdes's love of teaching inspired her to return to her alma mater, NYU, where she is an Professor of Food Science in the Food Studies department. While at NYU, she also served as an associate at the James Beard Foundation. A natural at explaining culinary concepts, Lourdes founded the Ars Magirica Cooking School in Miami, Florida in 2001. She created an acclaimed private catering service for high-profile clients seeking nutritious and flavorful meals. In 2006, she sold the cooking school to pursue other opportunities. In 2008, Lourdes was approached by the Biltmore Hotel to launch their first on-premise recreational cooking school. As director Lourdes oversees classes, workshops and team-building events for adults and children. Inspired to teach an even broader audience, Lourdes wrote two cookbooks Simply Mexican (2009) and Eat, Drink, Think in Spanish (2009). Her straightforward and user-friendly style contributed to Food & Wine magazine's selection of Simply Mexican as one of the 25 best cookbooks of 2009. Lourdes third cookbook, Latin Grilling, will be published in April 2011. Born in Miami to Cuban parents, Lourdes is fluent in both English and Spanish. She translates for acclaimed chefs such as Juan Mari Arzak, Pedro Subijana, Dani Garcia, Paco Torreblanca, Harold McGee, and Tetsuya Wakuda. She also translated events hosted by The James Beard Foundation, Madrid Fusion Culinary Conference, StarChefs.com, and the South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Bacardi USA made her the face of a video series in which she created and explained rum and cocktails in English and Spanish. Lourdes' talent and success are profiled in noteworthy publications such as Food & Wine magazine, Ocean Drive, Miami Luxury Living, The Miami Herald, Ocean Drive en Español, and El Nuevo Herald. Her recipes appeared in Men's Health, The New York Times, South Hampton Press, Pittsburgh Tribune, and The Seattle Times. Lourdes is an active member of Les Dames d'Escoffier and was selected by the organization to contribute a recipe to their cookbook, Cooking with Les Dames d'Escoffier (2009). She currently lives in New York City.