Finding Community w/ Claudia Martinez

Hey y'all, This week we sat down with Claudia Martinez, she is a 2022 James Beard Foundation Award-nominated Pastry Chef at Miller Union in Atlanta, GA. In this episode, we talk about her influences, the difference between appreciation and appropriation, and most importantly... what to eat in Atlanta. Claudia balances Chef Steven Satterfield’s rustic, vegetable-forward, and market-driven new Southern cuisine with sophisticated and carefully composed desserts. The ever-changing pastry menu reflects Martinez’s boundless creativity and intellectual curiosity, with classic flavors and combinations artfully presented. Growing up in a Venezuelan family, Martinez developed a passion for cooking and gathering around the table at an early age. A native Georgian and 2015 graduate of Johnson & Wales. Claudia began her culinary career at Atlanta’s Restaurant Eugene before moving to Sweden in 2017 where she honed her skills under Chef David Vidal at the Laholmen Hotel. Upon returning to Atlanta, she continued to develop her style, techniques, and reputation at Atlas and then at Tiny Lou’s as executive pastry chef before joining Miller Union as executive pastry chef in the spring of 2021. Martinez’s creativity and approach to crafting desserts have led to national recognition, including being nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef by the James Beard Foundation in 2022. Claudia was a 2019 Eater Young Gun and one of “32 rising stars under the age of 40” by Full Service Restaurant Magazine and a Semi-finalist for Outstanding pastry chef for the James Beard Foundation Award in 2020. Outside of her work at Miller Union, Martinez operates Café Claudia, an Atlanta-based pop-up café featuring desserts and pastries that partner with and benefit local BIPOC chefs and social justice organizations. You can find her on IG here