Rick Martínez, celebrating his book launch with sliced mangos. Illustration: Maanvi Kapur Rick Martínez is reflecting on his childhood, specifically a period of time when he resented the Mexican part of his identity. “I resented it, because I didn’t know what it meant,” he says. “Now, I do. Now, I fully embrace it.” So much so that the former Bon Appétit Test Kitchen star, who was among the first to leave the video series in 2020, has made a permanent home in Mazatlán.
Around three, I got to the Strand, and there was this gigantic stack of 750 books for me to sign. It was so overwhelming. The staff there is incredible. They had six people who were like a human conveyor belt — I ended up signing 750 books in 45 minutes. It was insane. I hadn’t eaten since the cinnamon roll, and there’s a Pret right across the street from the Strand, so I got a chicken and bacon sandwich. I was like, I just need to get food in my body.
We’d gotten there at seven, and it was probably after midnight when we left — an all-evening affair! Which was fabulous. That was exactly what I needed. I don’t think I’d really understood how much I’d needed that.I was getting ready for the next set of interviews, and then I discovered this breakfast bowl. I am not a salad-for-breakfast person, and I never thought I would be, but I have to say, this Bluestone Lane breakfast bowl rocked my world.
After that, I did a couple of interviews and then headed up to the Fly in the early afternoon. I don’t know if you’ve seen those Mexican banners made from hand-cut tissue paper, like little flags, but I found someone here in Mazatlán that makes them, and so I got some pink and yellow Mi Cocina ones that actually said “mi cocina” on them.
Since the Fly is known for its roast chicken, we did a modified version of the pollo al pastor from my book, but we served it as tacos, using tortillas from For All Things Good. Nick, one of the owners of the Fly, had told me fried food does really well. If you really want to sell stuff, fry it.
This chocolate cake I hadn’t made in three years. I normally make it for big birthday parties, but obviously because of the pandemic, I haven’t had a party in three years, so it was nice to make on set.