Rachael Ray is giving Food Network fans a taste of the Latino kitchen.
Ray is producing a new show for the network starring actress and cookbook author Daisy Martinez. The weekly "Viva Daisy!" premieres Saturday for a six-week run. The show is the network's second focused on Latino foods, joining Ingrid Hoffman's "Simply Delicioso."
Martinez previously hosted public television's Hispanic foods-focused "Daisy Cooks." The new show will be the first from Ray's production company, Watch Entertainment, that doesn't feature Ray.
The collaboration began after Ray and Martinez bonded while participating in a panel discussion together. Ray says she knew immediately she wanted to give Martinez a bigger platform from which to talk about Latino foods.
"She can't tell you about a recipe without telling you why you would want to make it," Ray said in a telephone interview. "Which is so much more important to me than learning a technique."
Martinez said she hopes to use the show to get people excited about the diversity of Latino food. And while she won't limit herself to Ray's signature 30-minute meals, Martinez says her cooking is always user-friendly.
"It's really going to be a peek into my life, into my home, into my kitchen," she said. "I'm going to be sharing my family with you, sharing meals that we have."
