James Beard Award-winning chef and cookbook author Rick Martinez is stopping by the Texas capital for several days in June in celebration of his highly anticipated second cookbook Salsa Daddy: Dip Your Way into Mexican Cooking.

Martinez, who was born in Austin, is renowned for his enthusiastic personality and his vast culinary talent, having won several awards for his debut cookbook, Mi Cocina, which released in 2022. Martinez has traveled to all 32 Mexican states to learn about and share the diversity of Mexico's culture while demystifying common misunderstandings about the country's cuisine.

In addition to his success as a cookbook author and recipe developer, Martinez regularly contributes to The New York Times, hosts the Babish Culinary Universe YouTube seriesPruébalo — where he explores various Mexican dishes throughout the country's cultural landscape — and makes hands-on recipe videos on his Food52 show Sweet Heat.

Mi Cocina was described as "highly personal love letter" to Mexico, featuring more than 100 of Martinez's recipes developed from his journey through the country. However, Salsa Daddy takes an entirely different approach by focusing solely on the different varieties of salsa and its rich history.

"The book goes beyond recipes — it's a journey into how salsa can transform cooking — once an accessory to main dishes, salsa now takes center stage, sparking creativity and offering boundless versatility, leaving readers with a fridge full of exciting, flavor-packed options to elevate even the simplest meals," a press release says.

Martinez takes readers and aspiring chefs through eight chapters of salsa recipes and everyday meals: martajadas (smashed aalsas), picadas (chopped salsas), licuadas (blended salsas), picante dulce (sweet heat), encurtidos y fermentados (pickled and fermented), cocidas (cooked salsas), especial (special salsas), and comida facil (easy meals).

Salsa Daddy is Martinez's first-ever single-subject cookbook.Photo courtesy of Rick Martinez

Recipes included in the book span from a Texas-inspired "Salsa Tejana" with roasted peaches, charred habanero peppers, and toasted pecans; to a savory-sweet apricot "barbecue" sauce with chipotle chile and rice vinegar. The cookbook also features innovative recipes like the "Besitos de Salsa Macha," which are chocolate chunk cookies featuring Martinez's salsa macha consisting of peanuts, guajillo chile, and chile de árbol.

Salsa Daddy Austin book tour events will begin on Thursday, June 26, with a book talk and signing at BookPeople with Texas Monthly contributor Paula Forbes. Admission is free, but tickets must be reserved via Eventbrite. To get a book signed, visitors must purchase a copy of the cookbook from BookPeople.

On Friday, June 27, Martinez will host a social hour at the Siete headquarters, located at 3708 Woodbury Drive, featuring a salsa bar with recipes from the book. Refreshments and additional Siete snacks will be provided, and other activities include a live cooking demo and a nail bar. Tickets to the event are $35 per person, which also includes a copy of the book.

Martinez will conclude his Austin stay with a final event at the East Austin Veracruz truck at 2505 Webberville Rd. on Saturday, June 28 from 11 am to 2 pm. Martinez will be on-site and the food truck will have his taco specials until 3 pm. Books will also be available for purchase at the event.

---

Salsa Daddy: Dip Your Way into Mexican Cooking retails for $32.99.