Chef Pati Jinich Cooks with Marriott Bonvoy Moments
By • June 24, 2025 0 384
By Annabel Taylor
Pati Jinich, James Beard award winning chef and host of Pati’s Mexican Table on PBS, led a livestream and cooking demonstration of her famous “To-Die-For” ceviche and grape salad in Marriott’s Test Kitchen at their Bethesda headquarters on Wednesday, June 18. The event was organized to promote Jinich’s partnership with the Marriott Bonvoy Moments program.
Marriott Bonvoy Moments is part of Marriott Bonvoy’s rewards program that allows members to access experiences including Formula One, NFL and culinary events, which can be redeemed through points.. Jinich’s demonstration was hosted alongside Marriott International President Brian King who spoke on the importance of the program in encouraging cultural exchange.
“The way we think about Marriott Bonvoy, is that it’s this beautiful ecosystem of travel, food, culture, music, and people’s passions,” said King.
Pati Jinich’s famous “To-Die-For” ceviche. Photo by Annabel Taylor.
For Jinich, this partnership is a natural evolution of her personal journey. Looking back, she credits her blissful ignorance in propelling her through a career in entrepreneurship.
“When you don’t know the obstacles and how hard some things are going to be, you jump for it.”
Before she became a household name in the culinary industry, Jinich was a political analyst who moved to Washington, D.C. from Mexico City with dreams of bridging cultural understanding through her work. It wasn’t until an existential crisis that she realized food—not foreign policy—would be her most powerful tool. Since then, she has hosted 13 seasons of Pati’s Mexican Table and written three cookbooks with a fourth coming out in the fall of 2026.
Unlike many of her counterpart chefs who chose to open restaurants, Jinich chose teaching on television to make direct connections with people. While working at the Mexican Cultural Institute, Jinich cold-called numerous TV stations. She cooked chicken tinga as a Cinco de Mayo special at a local station and her culinary journey took off from there.
“From then, I just started doing more and realized how big the appetite was for Mexican culture and food,” said Jinich.
When it comes to balancing innovation and authenticity in Mexican cooking, Jinich straddles the line between what has been passed down from her ancestors with what she has learned from moving to Washington. Jinich’s platform also allowed her to combat stereotypes she experienced firsthand.
“I grew very frustrated as a Mexican living in the US, meeting time and again, the preconception about what a Mexican is, what a Mexican looks like. Wait, you have blue eyes. Are you really Mexican?” said Jinich. “Through food, I can explain who Mexicans are. Just like Americans, French or Argentinians, we are humans.”
The demonstration marks the beginning of Jinich’s collaboration with Marriott Bonvoy Moments. Fans and foodies alike can look forward to future events spearheaded by Jinich, from a culinary trip to Cabo to a Burrito pop-up expected to open in November at Marriott Headquarters. These experiences reflect her larger mission: to serve as an ambassador of Mexican cuisine by preserving heritage, telling stories and deepening cultural understanding.
