“Let’s have Vietnamese Bahn Mi and Pho! Let’s have Korean BBQ! New York, Chicago and cities world-wide, they’ve all been doing it for years. Why can’t we?”

Mary Luz Mejia will advocate for your love of food, whether it be gourmet tacos, or a six-course epicurean feast. She is petite and fiery, a salt and peppered brunette who welcomes you and your love of food with a wide, open embrace. In fact, she has welcomed me into her home in St. Clair West, amidst her busy schedule as mom, wife, journalist, consultant, and amongst a house full of cardboard boxes in preparation for an upcoming move. This seems to be the secret to her success: multiple plates (of great food!) spinning all at once.

Born in Colombia, raised in Canada, her culinary curiosity began as the youngest daughter of a hard-working immigrant family, with recipes from the Betty Crocker Cookbook at age seven.  “Both my parents worked and my siblings were nine and eleven years older. Good food meant family coming together. Good food still means coming together, culture, passion and creativity,” she says.

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