Owner-Proprietor, South Philly Barbacoa; Philadelphia, PA

Cristina Martinez is a Mexican-born chef and undocumented in the United States since 2009. She was raised by barbacoa masters and has dedicated the better part of 40 years to mastering her singular tradition. Fleeing violence in Mexico, she came to live in the USA and worked as a dishwasher, prep cook, and pastry chef, eventually losing her position due to her illegal status. Cristina along with her husband began cooking barbacoa out of their apartment, eventually moving to a food cart and onto a brick and mortar and becoming activists for undocumented workers' rights. She has been featured on Netflix's "Chef's Table", twice finalist for James Beard Awards, although the most important recognition are the families who travel to eat her barbacoa in the heart of south Philly every weekend. In addition to South Philly Barbacoa, she owns and operates Casa Mexico, focusing on guisados and family style dishes, and the People's Kitchen at El Compadre, which has served 100,000 free meals in the last year and employs a rotating crew of chefs, students, and volunteers from the community. (Philadelphia, PA) @barbacoachef