Chef Ana Garcia

Passionate about Mexican cuisine and its preparation since childhood, Ana had initially embarked upon a business career. She received a B.A. from ITESM Monterrey in 1998 and started working in CEMEX public relations. That changed when she met her future husband, Rob Anderson, who saw in her a unique gift that combined her vast knowledge of Mexican cuisine with her talent for teaching and communicating.

In 2001, Ana and Rob founded La Villa Bonita Mexican Culinary Vacation® (www.lavillabonita.com), a cooking school and culinary vacation destination that combines Chef Ana’s cooking skills and inviting hospitality in a breathtaking setting beneath the Tepozteco Mountain range. Since opening its doors, La Villa Bonita has received several distinctions, including being named one of the five best culinary vacations worldwide by The Food Network and one of “The 100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life” by National Geographic Books.

In 2022, she was named a “Mexican food icon” and a top 100 Latina Powerhouse for her influence on Mexican cuisine and culture by “Hola” Magazine along with Eva Longoria, Christina Aguilera, and Camila Cabello. She was featured on Netflix, “World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals” and has appeared on the Food Network, WGN, PBS, and ABC, as well as the focus of articles in the Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Newsweek, Travel and Leisure, USA Today, Bon Appetit, Latina, Cooking Light and Intermezzo. She has been a regular guest on Los Angeles’ most popular morning television show, KTLA’s Morning News at 9, explaining major Mexican holidays and culinary traditions.

As a restaurant consultant, Chef Ana has trained chefs from around the world, such as the U.S., England, South Korea, and Germany, and has assisted in restaurant development with the U.S. restaurant chain La Salsa. Chef Ana has also served as a spokesperson in national media campaigns for Corona, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo Beers, and Mexicana Airlines in the U.S. market. She also became a spokesperson for IMUSA cookware, the largest Hispanic cookware manufacturer in the U.S., and has given classes resurrecting the traditional local cuisines in the touristic destinations at the Villa Group Resorts in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Chef Ana has been the national chef spokesperson for a national U.S. bilingual television and radio campaign called “More Choices, Healthier Lives.” The campaign focused on healthier options for Latino families utilizing a new healthy line from Ball Park Franks, Hillshire Farms, and Sara Lee.

Chef Ana was the executive chef of the trendy Reposado Restaurant in Cuernavaca for nine years. In 2007 she founded Cafe Cinco, an ecological cafe constructed with recycled materials and a reduced environmental impact hostel called Tubohotel (tubohotel.com).

A well-accomplished public speaker, Ana has given culinary demonstrations and lectures about Mexican Cuisine at the Orlando Culinary Institute, the Arizona Culinary Institute, the Chicago Hospitality Institute of Chicago, Central Market Cooking School, and the National Restaurant Association Convention.