PACÍFICO:

ESSENTIAL RECIPES FROM
MEXICO'S PACIFIC COAST

My first cookbook and the first of its kind to document the tropical cuisine of Mexico’s Pacific coast not as a backdrop for resorts and tourists, but as a living landscape with its own memory and culinary diversity. Featuring more than 100 recipes, from guisados passed down through generations to simple ceviches prepared steps from the shore. Pacífico captures a place where cooking tells the story of community, culture, land, and sea. Available for preorder now; on sale everywhere books are sold March 16, 2027.

By: Paola Briseño-Gonázlez

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Pacifico - Essential recipes from Mexico's Pacific Coast Book Cover by Paola Briseño-Gonzalez

My friends call me Pao

I'm a cooking writer, recipe developer, and avid cook—and a proud pata salada, which is surf speak for a native of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico—paradise!

I grew up in a restaurant family in Vallarta and come from a long lineage of cocineras—my mother and her ten sisters, who cooked and ran the family's marisquería and restaurant. That's where I learned the foundation of sazón and coastal cooking: the perfect balance of acid, heat, spicy, sweet, and addictive tropical flavors.

When I moved to L.A. in 2013, I was the private chef for superstars Rosalía, Juanes, and J Balvin. Since then, I’ve become a food writer and recipe developer. I love taking something that feels instinctual in cooking and turning it into a recipe that transports you to that place with me. My original recipes are published regularly in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Saveur, and other publications. 

A woman with long, wavy dark hair sitting on yellow tiled stairs in a rustic, tropical-style setting. She is wearing a beige dress with black embroidered accents and black leggings. She is holding a small glass of green drink garnished with a lime wedge and mint. The background features decorative wooden lattice and potted plants, with sunlight filtering through.

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  • “Paola has translated these dishes without flattening them. She tells you what to do when you cannot find the fish, the fruit, the chile, without apology and without surrender. Her substitutions are not compromises. They are bridges, built by someone who lives on both sides and refuses to let either one go.”

    PATI JINICH, CHEF, COOKBOOK AUTHOR, AND TELEVISION HOST

  • “Pacífico is such a gift! Paola writes about Mexico’s Pacific coast not as a backdrop for resorts and tourists, but as a living landscape with its own memory and a culinary diversity. This is a necessary book about one of the most beautiful places in the world.”

    SEAN SHERMAN, CHEF, AUTHOR OF TURTLE ISLAND, EDUCATOR, AND ACTIVIST

  • “Paola has written a beautiful tribute to the ingredients, the culture, and the people of her home. Pacífico will encourage cooks to go deeper into the foods of the region— I want to cook everything in this book”

    JOSÉ ANDRÉS, CHEF, COOKBOOK AUTHOR, AND HUMANITARIAN

  • “Paola cooks with love . . .You can feel it through the page . . . She cooks from the soul with vibrant flavors that smack you right in the face and keep you coming back for more!”

    BENNY BLANCO, AUTHOR OF OPEN WIDE AND MUSIC PRODUCER, SONGWRITER, AND ACTOR

  • “On every page of Pacífico, you can feel Paola’s love for cooking. This book honors the richness of Mexico’s Pacific coast and reminds us that behind every recipe there is a story, a family, and a community that deserves to be remembered.”

    ZAHIE TÉLLEZ, CHEF, TELEVISION HOST, AND AUTHOR OF MI HISTORIA A TRAVÉS DE LOS SABORES

  • “I can think of nobody better to get at the essence of the food of the west coast of Mexico than Paola. Pacífico is a great cookbook based on years of research and travel, and shows off its value with a demure confidence that belies the years of hard work.”

    CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL, AUTHOR OF THE MILK STREET COOKBOOKS AND EDITOR AND PUBLISHER OF MILK STREET

  • "Paola’s intricate weaving of food and memoir is as compelling to read as her culinary instruction, all dense with feeling and rich with chewy language. I was swept away by her writing."

    ERIC KIM, AUTHOR OF KOREAN AMERICAN

For collaborations, community engagements, events, branded work, and partnerships, please send me a note.

editorial inquiries at:‍ ‍jonah@strausliterary.com

  • Slice of cherry cheesecake on a white plate with a fork, placed on a wooden table with a dollar drink in a clear cup and a woman's hand wearing rings in the background.
  • Plate with skewered grilled chicken, lettuce, sliced red onions, and cilantro, served on a soft taco. Also on the table are a bowl of guacamole, a bowl of red salsa with lime wedges, and a glass of water, all arranged on a green table with pink and red napkins.
  • A rectangular ceramic dish filled with tiramisu topped with cocoa powder. A scoop is missing, revealing the layered cake inside. The dish is placed on a light blue surface, with a colorful cloth partially visible at the bottom right corner.
  • A platter of grilled shrimp with lemon halves, a bowl of guacamole, and bowls of sauces and dips on a yellow tablecloth.
  • A slice of avocado and tomato pizza topped with fresh herbs on a blue plate, with a glass of beer nearby, on a pink placemat and table.
  • Top view of a vibrant green cocktail garnished with mint leaves in a salt-rimmed glass on a turquoise surface, with a lime wedge on a plate nearby and a stack of pink coasters.

Photographs by Simon Bajada. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.