Marcela Valladolid’s Home: Photos of Her Chula Vista House

Chef Marcela Valladolid grew a massive following after making her Food Network debut in 2010 with Mexican Made Easy. She has since written multiple cookbooks and formerly served as a host on The Kitchen. The culinary expert loves sharing recipes with her followers from her gorgeous home in Chula Vista, California.

The home was built in 1912 in the middle of a citrus tree field. Instead of fully remodeling the entire house, Marcela wanted to preserve some of its original architecture. When it came to decorating the space, the television personality integrated special nods to her Mexican culture.

“I brightened it up and added a tone of elements that pay homage to my upbringing in Mexico. The best compliment I could ever receive is when folks tell me it’s so cozy they don’t want to leave,” she told Camille Styles in April 2019. “Mexico exists in some way or another in every room of the home. But it’s subtle and that’s how I entertain. Nothing is in your face of any culture or ethnicity. I just search for beauty.”

Marcela, who previously served as a food editor for Bon Appétit magazine, went pretty simple when it came to designing her kitchen. The room she spends the most time in is all about being functional.

“Simplicity is key,” the Relatos con Sabor host told People in July 2016. “Some people like really high-tech kitchens, where you have warming drawers and ice makers and storage for a million different things. Honestly, for me, I need an oven, a stovetop, a fridge and a sink.”

The Best Baker in America judge decided to host Zoom cooking classes from home at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She got the nudge to do so from her partner, entertainment executive Philip Button.

“I think the pandemic, and being at home, and having to connect with people like myself, or other online cooking classes, or getting cookbooks or experimenting, I think it just became an understanding that we went back to basics, where we all actually had to cook for ourselves and our families. And I think that is so beautiful,” she told Mashed in February 2021.

In addition to cooking with her fans online, Marcela hosts family gatherings frequently in her stunning home. The cookbook author is a mother to son Fausto, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Fausto Gallardo, and son David and daughter Anna Carina, whom she shares with Philip. The adorable sibling trio have been featured on Marcela’s Instagram many times, giving their stamp of approval for their mom’s recipes.

Keep scrolling to take a tour of Marcela’s Chula Vista home.