Hello!

I'm Pilar Hernandez, a Latina mom, author of The Chilean Kitchen cookbook, and urban farmer based in Seattle, WA.

I was born and raised in Chile. I went to medical school there and then moved to Houston, Texas, in 2003 without knowing how to cook and speaking no English.

How did I start Chilean Food and Garden?

I still remember the first time I went to the grocery store. I almost cried out of frustration, not knowing which brands to buy or which foods were equivalent to what I grew up eating. I started Chilean Food and Garden as my personal record of my trials and errors in learning to cook traditional Chilean dishes in my US kitchen.

Today, I'm a food blogger, cookbook author of The Chilean Kitchen, and urban farmer (I used to manage community gardens, and now I grow flowers for a local florist)

On this website, I strive to show you how to cook Chilean food with US ingredients you find in your supermarket. I'll challenge you to try exotic fruits like lucuma or Maqui and our favorite cereals: wheat berries and quinoa.

Welcome to my Chilean Kitchen!

Connect with me:

pilar @ cocinachilena.cl (without the spaces)
My Facebook
My Pinterest
My Instagram

Places where I have been featured:

Wine Pairing for the People (Harvest, 2025): Recipe featured from "The Chilean Kitchen" Chacarero

Radical Señora Era (Dafina, 2025): Interview and recipe featured from "The Chilean Kitchen" Pan Amasado

Bake from Scratch Magazine (May/June 2021): Article about Chilean bread Marraqueta

Woman's Day Magazine (August 2022): Profile and recipe featured from my cookbook "The Chilean Kitchen" Best Chacarero. National Hispanic Heritage Month story.

Taste: When White Sugar Won't Do: Role of Chancaca in Chilean food culture.

Wine Enthusiast: Beat the Heat with Melón con Vino, Chile's Answer to Sangria

Texas Monthly Magazine: Article about the development of my career and the publishing of my Chilean cookbook.

Epicurious: 39 best new cookbooks coming in Fall 2020, "The Chilean Kitchen" is featured.

New Worlder: Open Book: The Chilean Kitchen

Houston Chronicle: Houston recipe blogger writes Chilean cookbook.

Cherry Bombe: Recipe featured from my cookbook "The Chilean Kitchen" Tortilla de Lechuga

Real Simple

ChileTravel

Domino

NPR The Salt: In Chile, Marraqueta is the daily bread

Univision Houston

NBC Latino

Where women cook

Delicious links at The Kitchn

Spanglish Baby

Chilean Press:

Revista Wikén
La Tercera
Revista YA
Zancada
Diario La Hora
Revista Paula
Be Bloguera
FM Dos

Others:

Ecuador: La Revista del Diario El Universo