Our Staff

Eat Mexico is women-owned and women-led—and we have been since our founding in 2010. Read more about our organization and our administrative team below.

ARIANE RUIZ, OPERATIONS MANAGER AND GUIDE

Ariane was born and raised in Mexico City — her dad is Mexican and her mom is French, which gave her a multicultural childhood. She started working at the age of 15 at her family’s coffee shop, where she learned to love Mexican coffee. Ariane studied gastronomy at the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana. When she’s not touring, she caters desserts for parties. Baking is one of her passions, especially French pastries with a twist of Mexican ingredients. She loves to travel, and she loves movies and art. Ariane also leads another important role at Eat Mexico as the company’s Operations Manager.

Favorite thing about Mexico City: The variety of food. You can find great samples of regional cooking from all over the country.

Favorite part of the city: Centro Histórico, because it is full of museums, great food and a lot of historical places.

ANGELES PEREZ, CLIENT SERVICE LEADER

Angeles, a Mexico City native, is our reservations whiz, running Eat Mexico’s calendar and directing all client communication. Angeles holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Business Administration, and she worked for years as a high school and middle school English school teacher. Before being hired at Eat Mexico, she operated a gluten-free cake business, brainstorming recipes and ferrying delicious desserts to families all around Mexico City. When Angeles is not processing Eat Mexico reservations and being an all-around customer service dynamo, she loves to cook for her son.

Favorite street food: Anything with a tortilla: tacos, quesadillas or just a tortilla rolled with salt. Tortillas are a staple of Mexican food which makes it so diverse and amazing.

Favorite thing about Mexican food: The fact that lime juice can be added to all sorts of foods: tlacoyos, tacos de carnitas, quesadillas… anything can be enriched with a couple drops of lime juice!

ADRIAN BECERRIL

Adrian, a Mexico City native, studied gastronomy at the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía. He worked in Mexican kitchens for a year before moving to Seville, Spain to study hospitality. From there he hopscotched around the world, working in kitchens in the Czech Republic and Dubai, and launching a Mexican food concept in Australia. He finally moved back to Mexico City in 2016.

His favorite country he’s lived in so far: Obviously Mexico! If I had to choose another one, I’d say Australia. It’s so multicultural and the people are so chill. It’s not just a country, it’s a continent by itself. I just love it. Melbourne is one of the most diverse cities I’ve seen. There’s food everywhere. I think it’s the foodie capital of the world.

Favorite street food: Tacos al Pastor, they are my favorite tacos in the world. They are nicely balanced in flavor and I just love the color of the trompo!

Favorite thing about Mexico: The people. If you are Mexican, it might not seem like it it’s true sometimes, but we are so open and friendly and eager to help.

What clients have said about Adrian:

“Adrian is a gem! He went above and beyond to make us happy and is extremely knowledgeable.”

“Adrian is fantastic! Soulful, knowledgeable, fun and enthusiastic about the work he is doing. Tuvimos un día maravilloso!”

“I was extremely impressed with Adrian’s knowledge. I travel a lot and generally am comfortable in markets and eating street food on my own.…What made this so interesting is that Adrian added so much context and history that I wouldn’t have gained the same value walking around myself.”

NICOLÁS GARCÍA

Born and raised in Xalapa, Veracruz, Nicolás has always loved eating and trying new foods. From a very early age, he had already determined that he wanted to be a cook and held his first job in a restaurant at the age of 14. He has a degree in gastronomy from the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana in Mexico City. Over the years, Nicolás has worked in several restaurant kitchens specializing in Mexican, Italian, French, and Asian cuisine. He also recently worked for a creative catering company that offers pop-up dining experiences throughout the city.

Favorite street food: It’s almost impossible to choose just one thing! I love street food and like to try new places every week so the list is endless, but some of my current favorites are octopus tostadas with roasted habanero salsa, quesadillas stuffed with squash blossom and chicharron prensado (without cheese!).

Favorite thing about Mexico City: The incredible amount of food and places to eat. When I first arrived to this city, I was really amazed that you can find something good to eat on almost every corner. I also love markets and tianguis where you can buy beautiful products for cooking.

What clients have said about Nicolás:

“Nico was fantastic. Fun, knowledgeable and kept a great pace of eating and walking.”

“Nico is well informed and shares his knowledge in an entertaining, articulate, engaging manner. He was genuinely interested in making sure we had a good experience. Excellent guide.”

“Nicolás was the BEST guide. He gave everyone equal attention and really made the tour feel unique and fun. The tour was both informative and delicious. We can’t thank Nicolas enough!!”

YIMNAH ROSAS

Born and raised in Mexico City, Yimnah studied Gastronomy at Universidad Internacional de Profesiones. After completing her studies, she did an internship at the Hotel Hesperia Madrid in Spain for six months.

From an early age, Yimnah fell in love with traditional Mexican cuisine. This inspiration came from her grandmother, now in her late 90s, who taught her how to cook from the age of six. Because of this experience, Yimnah loves spending time in the kitchen and thinks of cooking as one of the most powerful expressions of love.

Aside from doing tours for Eat Mexico, Yimnah teaches mexican cooking to small groups and also runs a side project of producing and selling her own artisanal jams and spices, all made entirely with local Mexican products. Her goal is to rescue and promote the use of fruits, herbs and spices that many of Mexico’s ancestors used to use.

Favorite street food: Quesadillas and everything made with masa and a spicy salsa.

Favorite thing about Mexico City: That I feel I can never finish getting to know my city. There is always something new and surprising to discover.

What clients have said about Yimnah:

“Yimnah was funny, engaging and charming and a great tour leader.”

“Yimnah Rosas was our trusted and very knowledge guide. After going into the narrow bustling lanes of the market, Yimnah led us on a culinary adventure of the greatest market we have ever seen.”

“Yimnah is an amazing guide. She was super enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and caring! Highly recommend!”

TONALLI PALOMINO

Born into a family of artists, Tonalli, a Mexico City native, has always had a strong passion for Mexican food, art and culture. At the age of 15, Tonalli began to travel all over the country, accompanied by her camera. Thanks to these early life experiences, she later went on to study Tourism, Gastronomy and Photography. Now, with over 10 years of tourism experience under her belt and having lived in various cities across the country, Tonalli has returned to one of her favorite places, Playa del Carmen, to share what she loves most about it: cultural diversity. And what better way to do so than through food!

What she likes most about Playa del Carmen: The colors of the sea of course! And how open-minded people are since everyone comes from different backgrounds.

Favorite area in Playa del Carmen: 38 st in Zazil ha neighborhood and Hollywood neighborhood

Favorite street food: Definitely marquesitas!! Perfect harmony between sweet and savory.

Clara Hernández

Clara was born and raised in the smallest state of Mexico, Tlaxcala, where she learned from her family a love of the countryside and fresh food. She studied gastronomy at the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana and has specialized in offering courses and workshops that help people improve their quality of life through balanced and accessible dishes. Her cooking is characterized by the incorporation of local and fresh ingredients as well as herbal bases. She believes that food not only helps heal the body but also restores the soul.

What she likes most about Mexico City: its complexity and eclecticism; you can find it in everything, architecture, music, people, neighborhoods, and, of course, in the food.

Favorite street food: Quelites tacos with handmade tortillas, accompanied by molcajete sauce and pot beans. Quite a gastronomic experience! (and if you accompany it with pulque, even better!).

HÉCTOR MALDONADO

Born and raised in Mexico City, Héctor has always loved eating in the streets, in fact, the first dish he remembers trying as a child was a chicken quesadilla in a local market. Héctor has a culinary arts degree from the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana, with a specialization in food science. Over the past four years, he has worked at various restaurants across the city. His true passion, however, is smoking meats of all types, so when he’s not running tours for Eat Mexico, he’s probably experimenting with his own smoker.

Favorite street food: Chicken quesadilla and all types of tacos!

Favorite thing about Mexico City: That you can find anything and everything here. It is such a busy city full of different people and traditions.

What clients have said about Héctor:

“Héctor was fabulous, very engaging and knowledgeable. A great host.”

“Héctor was great, I mean really great, one of the best guides I´ve had.”

“Héctor gave us great insights into Mexican cuisine … I would definitely recommend a tour like this.”

JULIETA CARRIÓN

Born and raised in Mexico City. When she was 20 years old, she moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina where she studied Business Administration and became a Pastry Chef. In Buenos Aires she represented Mexico cooking Mexican food at international fairs and at the Mexican embassy.

After working in different restaurants in the United States, she returned to Mexico to work at Biko, one of the best restaurants in the world. With all that experience and inspiration she started a pastry business that currently supplies restaurants, coffee shops and private events. Today she also teaches Mexican food classes to promote our cuisine and culture through an experience of flavors and ingredients.

Favorite Mexican food: Tacos al pastor, its rich flavors make me very happy. Also I can’t resist street food.

My favorite part of teaching: Sharing my love of cooking and my culture with people from all over the world and giving them useful and simple tips to cook at home.

MARIA CALDERÓN

Maria was born and raised steps from Puebla’s La Acocota market. She has a degree in Tourism from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. She lived and worked in the United States and France and says that while she loves international food, she’s addicted to her home country’s cuisine. In addition to Spanish, she speaks French, English, and a little bit of German. Maria runs separate city tours in Puebla and also teaches private English and French classes.

Favorite poblano food: Tacos árabes. I could eat them everyday!

Favorite place in Puebla: I used to go downtown with my grandmother when I was a little girl, so it’s my favorite place to be.

Mezcal, tequila, or Mexican microbrew? Tequila straight with salt and lime.

What clients have said about Maria:

“Maria was incredibly knowledgeable about Puebla, about food and about Mexico! She was incredibly friendly, approachable and warm from the moment we met her. We both said that it was like spending the afternoon with a very knowledgeable local friend.”

“Maria went above and beyond to make our tour memorable.”

“She is a wonderful guide and we truly felt comfortable in her very capable hands! We learned a lot about the local food! Be sure to arrive hungry! I highly recommend this tour!”

Marcela De Alva

Marcela was born in Puebla, the emblematic city of Mexican gastronomy. Puebla’s cuisine has kept no secrets for her, and neither has the cuisine of Campeche and Yucatan because she spent half of her childhood in the peninsula. Her traveling soul led her to live in three French cities where she did a Master’s Degree in Food Sustainability. While living in La Rochelle and Montpellier, she was known for her succulent food and the hospitality with which she received friends at home. She began teaching Mexican cooking classes for foreigners while in France. Back in Mexico, she worked at the Culinary Institute of Mexico and did a Diploma Course on Mexican Cuisine and Food Culture at the National School of Anthropology and History.

Favorite Mexican food: The supreme oxymoron and baroque poblano dish par excellence: Chiles en nogada.

My favorite part of the class: Enjoying and connecting with the people who visit me, making friends while living an authentic local experience of loving kindness where we cook and eat delicious food.