Biography
Chef Lorena Garcia
Miami, Florida
One of the country’s leading Latina chefs, Lorena Garcia was born and raised in Venezuela, and credits her many gatherings spent entertaining family and friends as her career inspiration “Bringing loved ones together to enjoy wonderful food is something that has always fulfilled me.” Lorena completed her law studies at the Santa Maria University in Caracas, and moved to the United States to complete her Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies. Making her dream to become a chef a reality, Lorena traded her law papers for a cutting board and chef’s knife to study culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University.
Inspired by her education and burgeoning creativity, Lorena set out on a world tour of countries known for great cuisine. She worked as an apprentice chef in France, Italy, Japan, Korea,Thailand, and China; and worked alongside world-renowned chefs such as Pascal Audin. Her next step was to establish Food Café, and later Elements Tierra, two successful restaurants in Miami’s Design District that featured menus defined by an eclectic blend of Latin and Asian-inspired dishes, later sold in 2008.
Lorena’s charismatic personality and contagious enthusiasm have helped her secure numerous roles as host on nationally syndicated shows including Vida Gourmet on the Gems network; Co/cine Mun2, Mun2 network; El Arte del Buen Gusto, MGM Casa Club TV; Sazón, Univision Radio; currently Sazón con Lorena Garcia and Lorena en su Salsa on Utilisima. Lorena was featured in CNN’s “Latinos In America”, broadcast globally to millions of viewers. Lorena has also been featured as a guest on NBC’s “Today Show”, and “The Biggest Loser”. Lorena was a series regular and one of the investors on NBC’s new reality competition series “America’s Next Great Restaurant”. More recently, Lorena was a guest chef on Bravos "Top Chef - Allstars" Season Finale and the Nate Show.
Lorena has taken on the challenge of combating childhood obesity. She developed "Big Chef, Little Chef" as a comprehensive program to help children and their families take control of their eating habits and ultimately, their lives. More than simply promoting healthy eating, it is a lifestyle modification plan that educates children of all ages and their families about the benefits of nutrition and of living a healthy, happy, and positive life.
The first Lorena Garcia Cocina Restaurant located at the Miami International Airport opened February 2011, where Lorena teams up with HMS Host to provide travelers a healthier alternative to Latin cuisine. The Lorena Garcia production studio headquarters is 5000 + square feet located in Miami and will allow for television production, brand development, educational workships and all media relations.
Random House published LORENA GARCIA'S NEW LATIN CLASSICS, her first cookbook, available in stores today.
The Lorena Garcia Empire continues to grow..