Buen Provecho!, About Us

About Me (Chef Martha) and ¡Buen Provecho!

I was born in Lima, Peru, where there is a splendid cuisine. Cooking has been my passion since I can remember. I discovered the "kitchen magic" at a very early age. My mother says I used to run with my walker into the kitchen, reach for the chopping board, grab whatever was there and promptly eat it. She especially remembers garlic, onions and hot chilies. Yes, a baby eating raw hot chilies! (By the way, chili is called "ají" in most of South America.)

I had very good teachers since the beginning of my journey. The very best one was "mama Lola", my beloved grandma. When my father was a young Marine, he and his friends used to go to the market to get whatever they could put their hands on, pork, duck, exotic vegetables, anything that their fancy would dictate (or their pockets would allow!) at the moment. Then they took it to mama Lola, who would always transform the ingredients into something wonderful.

What I liked the most about mama Lola was how much fun she had in the kitchen. From her I learned how to prepare a great variety of Peruvian specialties and, most important, she helped me develop the ability to concoct new dishes. (This often gets me into trouble with friends when they ask me for the recipe of a dish they enjoyed, since sometimes I just combine whatever I feel will be right, without caring to write it down). For me the kitchen is a canvas (or laboratory perhaps?) with infinite possibilities.

There was also Rosa, a cook we had when I was young, and my "tía Meche" (aunt Meche), a friend of my mom. They were both joyful in the kitchen and very creative. Then I discovered a completely new cuisine when I was 15 and met my husband, Rafael. He is from Argentina and his mom, Graciela (another great cook!), introduced me to Italian and Argentinean food, a whole new world of ingredients and techniques.

We came to the U.S. in 1984. I quickly started to learn about American and International dishes. My husband, Rafael, came to pursue graduate studies in physics at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and eventually got his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. In both cases we lived in the university apartments, which allowed us to meet people (and food!) from all over the world. Naturally, it was a wonderful learning opportunity for me and I didn't let it slip away. During those years I also attended cooking courses, catered often for friends and relatives, and made all kinds of fresh pasta to sell. And I started my cooking library which by now has grown to more than a hundred books!

My husband is a Physics Professor and he loves to cook too—although not as much as he likes to eat! He has been my harshest critic during the years, which has helped me immensely. Together we have spent a good deal of energy learning about nutrition to constantly improve the quality of life of our family. We have three wonderful teenagers who are very picky gourmets themselves, and have served as 'guinea pigs' at the dinner table for years… So far no complaints! We also have a precious three-year-old boy who is learning about good food really fast.

We have been living in San Antonio for more than seven years. About five years ago, after working in other fields, I decided to come back to my true passion, cooking. I found out about the new service of Personal Chef, which was becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. and I got immediately hooked on the idea. I realized that this would be the perfect way to do what I liked best, working one-on-one with the client, without the limitations of a fixed menu, and not having to deal with the myriad complications of a restaurant.

That's why I joined the American Personal Chef Association and created ¡Buen Provecho!, and joined the American Personal Chef Association to put all my experience and love for cooking at your service.

I have clients that have been with me from the beginning and are very satisfied with my service. I have enjoyed serving them and their families and I am very happy to be part of their lives.

I look forward to sharing my service with you and your family.

Martha López-Mobilia

Last Updated 12/09/05