Claudette Zepeda
Claudette Zepeda is a Mexican American chef, cookbook author, and television personality who shares the food and stories of the U.S.–Mexico borderlands.
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Latest
Claudette’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus her backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Clarkson Potter
Food Network
BravoOverview
- Roots
- San Diego, Tijuana, and family kitchens in Guadalajara
- Work
- Chef, cookbook author, television personality, and founder of Chispa Hospitality
- Breakout
- Bracero, Top Chef México, and Top Chef: Colorado
- First cookbook
- Cooking the Borderlands, published June 2, 2026
Mini bio
How it started.
Claudette grew up between San Diego and Mexico, with family kitchens in Tijuana and Guadalajara shaping her taste. Her aunt Lorenza’s restaurant, Las Calandrias, helped show her what a life in food could look like. She entered professional kitchens at 19, then worked in pastry at Jack’s in La Jolla and at Gavin Kaysen’s El Bizcocho.
Finding her voice.
In 2015, she joined Javier Plascencia’s opening team at Bracero and rose from butcher and kitchen lead to chef de cuisine. Top Chef México and Bravo’s Top Chef brought her cooking to television audiences. In 2018, she opened El Jardín, a San Diego restaurant built around regional Mexican food and the women who preserve its traditions.
Food with a story.
Through Chispa Hospitality, she develops restaurants and food experiences rooted in culture and memory. Her work includes Novecientos Grados, a San Diego airport collaboration with Tony Hawk. Through Viva La Vida, she supports women producers in Mexico and the preservation of heirloom ingredients. Her 2026 debut cookbook, Cooking the Borderlands, carries those stories into home kitchens.
Creditschronological, newest first
Television
- 2026Bobby Flay’s The LineHome-team chef
- 2017–2018Top Chef: ColoradoContestant, season 15
Awards
Quotes
I can never underestimate the power of humanity and connection when it comes to food.Claudette Zepeda, The Ultimate Dish
In her June 2025 interview, she described the friendships that grew from her online cooking classes.
Trivia
- Her Culture Cooking Club name was inspired by Boy George and Culture Club.
- She has written a whole menu while listening to Wu-Tang Clan’s 36 Chambers.
- Her dream last meal includes her mother’s albondigas and arroz con leche.
- She walked the Camino de Santiago in 2024 and wrote about the experience in her newsletter.
Find Claudette
Follow her cooking, borderlands stories, and next projects.
Are you Claudette Zepeda?
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