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<p><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/me-first"></a></p><div type="image" title="Chef Cristina Martinez speaks onstage behind a podium during the 2022 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards" height="2242" width="2990" msid="93061946" hostid="261" sizebytes="91060"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>After growing up in an unstable home, <keyword id="14530486" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cristina-martinez" source="Orion">Cristina Martinez</keyword> found herself in an abusive marriage.</li><li>She made the tough choice to leave and immigrate to the US, where she's become an award-winning chef.</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/barbacoachef/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">Cristina Martinez</a> is a chef, a restaurant owner, an immigration activist, and a mother. Now, she's becoming an advocate for victims of domestic abuse. </p><p>The owner of <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/food/cristina-martinez-south-philly-barbacoa-new-restaurant-20220405.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">South Philly Barbacoa</a> has amassed a long list of accomplishments, appearing on <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/south-philly-barbacoa-philadelphia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">best-restaurant lists</a>, landing an episode of Netflix's "Chef's Table," and, most recently, <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2022-james-beard-award-winners" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">winning a James Beard Award</a>. But when she was asked about the most pivotal moments in her life, the Mexico native chose to talk about her decisions to take herself out of abusive situations. </p><p>"I believe that one of the greatest talents I have had as a woman is that sixth sense," Martinez told Insider in an interview translated from Spanish. </p><p>For Martinez, 52, the most powerful moments of her life have involved listening to her intuition. She said the gut feeling of knowing when to leave was what pushed her out of her parents' home at the age of 17, and then out of her husband's home to come to the US. Neither decision was free of consequences.</p><h2>Growing up in a culture of silence around abuse</h2><p>Martinez grew up in Capulhuac, Mexico, where she lived with her mother, father, and four siblings until she got married at 17 years old. It was there that she learned how to make barbacoa, the dish of slow-cooked lamb that has propelled her to culinary stardom.</p><p>She said she had many happy memories of her father, including his love of preparing barbacoa, but added that there were dark moments.</p><p>"My dad was an alcoholic, and I felt every time he drank that he was going to harass me," Martinez said. "I was always on the alert when he was drinking and drinking."</p><p>As a kid, Martinez said she felt like she had no one to turn to. Her mother thought the verbal harassment was normal, she said, and the environment she grew up in was one of shame and silence when it came to abuse. She couldn't share "those kinds of things that are so delicate and deep that they hurt, not even with my sisters," she said, adding: "I didn't know what reaction my sisters or my mom would have."</p><p>So when she met a man who asked her to marry him after just 15 days, she saw it as the perfect opportunity to remove herself from her father's home. Unfortunately, she said, she didn't stop to weigh the consequences.</p><p>Martinez said her first husband, who was also a victim of childhood abuse, ended up being physically violent toward her, which continued a cycle of abuse that left her feeling trapped, like she was in a prison. The abuse went on for nearly 15 years as the couple had four children together. </p><p>"I couldn't go to my mom. I didn't have friends to tell what I was going through with my partner," she said. "The aggression was also increasing to the point where I returned to that sixth sense, in which I saw that if I stayed there, I would end up in a wheelchair, paralyzed, or bedridden."</p><h2>A difficult decision to leave home</h2><p>Around 2006, Martinez decided to take the leap and move to the US. There, she worked as a dishwasher and a pastry chef so that she could send money home to her daughter Carla to pay for boarding school and help her escape the pattern of abuse that she herself had been trapped in.</p><p>Martinez's decision to leave Mexico didn't come without a price. Because she's unauthorized to live in the US, she can't return to the country and hasn't seen three of her children in more than 10 years. (The fourth came to live with her in Philadelphia in 2012 but died two years later.) Carla is now an emergency-room nurse and has been denied a visa to visit her mother four times. </p><div type="image" title="Cristina Martinez speaks onstage behind a podium during the 2022 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards." height="2213" width="2950" msid="93061947" hostid="261" sizebytes="110476"></div><p>After she lost her pastry-chef job because of her immigration status, Martinez started cooking barbacoa and consommé in her apartment with her husband, Benjamin Miller, whom she'd met at work. On "Chef's Table," the couple said they started selling the dish out of their home on Sunday mornings.</p><p>"People came to the apartment, needing to eat and feel at home," Martinez told the filmmakers. "They were immigrants like me."</p><p>As the couple transitioned <keyword id="14530487" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="south-philly-barbacoa" source="Orion">South Philly Barbacoa</keyword> into a restaurant space, it began generating media attention. In 2017, Martinez received her first James Beard Award nomination for best chef, mid-Atlantic. She <a href="https://www.phillyvoice.com/cristina-martinez-south-philly-barbacoa-best-chef-james-beard/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">won the award last month</a>.</p><p>The chef has been happily married to Miller for 10 years, and the pair opened a second Philadelphia restaurant, Casa Mexico, in 2020.</p><h2>Speaking up about breaking the cycle</h2><p>Martinez has been a passionate advocate for immigrants unauthorized to live in the US. She told her story on <a href="https://www.univision.com/noticias/inmigracion/podcast-mejor-vete-cristina" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">a Spanish-language podcast for Univision</a> and, along with Miller, founded the Popular Alliance for Undocumented Workers' Rights, which <a href="https://www.dosagemagazine.com/south-phillys-undocumented-workers-need-love-and-aid-and-cristina-martinez-and-benjamin-miller-want-to-get-it-for-them/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">pushes for amnesty for workers</a> and has provided free meals to those in need during the pandemic.</p><p>Speaking out about abuse has been harder. Martinez said her two sons in Mexico continued to perpetuate the cycle she grew up with. One is physically abusing his partner, she said, adding that the other had an addiction to crack cocaine. </p><p>"I am a mother who does not want her granddaughter to live with a man like my son," she said.</p><p>She said she's opening up about her experience for the first time because she wanted people to understand the challenges of breaking the cycle. </p><p>"The fact that my children are not so conscious does not defeat me," she said. "On the contrary, it gives me more strength because at the moment of sharing everything, although they see me far away, they know that I am fine."</p><p>Ultimately, she said, trusting herself and leaving Mexico was the best decision she could have made. In the meantime, she wants her children to see that she is, and will remain, a safe haven for them if they choose to lean on her. And she hopes her story serves as an example to anyone grappling with listening to their intuition. </p><p>"I'm still strong," she said. "I'm still fighting so that these things don't happen to other families."</p><p><em>Anyone affected by abuse and in need of support can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233). Advocates are available 24/7 and can also be reached via live chat on </em><a href="https://www.thehotline.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored"><em>thehotline.org</em></a><em> or by texting "START" to 88788 or "</em><a href="https://www.loveisrespect.org/get-relationship-help/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored"><em>LOVEIS</em></a><em>" to 22522</em>.</p>

Chef Cristina Martinez has won a James Beard Award and appeared on 'Chef's Table.' But she says her greatest accomplishment was escaping domestic abuse.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I'm a <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-things-to-do-in-philadelphia-according-to-a-local-2021-8">Philadelphia native</a> who used to work as a chef and baker in restaurants around the city.</li><li>Philadelphia is known for its cheesesteaks, but it also has great Mexican, Italian, and Thai food.</li></ul><p>After spending three years working as a chef and baker in various Philadelphia restaurants, I've been exposed to quite a few of the best spots in town.</p><p>I've learned so much about the city's dining scene that I've become my friends' unofficial restaurant finder. So, I compiled a list of the places I recommend over and over again.</p><p>There are <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-places-to-eat-in-philadelphia-according-to-a-local-2021-8">too many restaurants in Philadelphia</a> worth trying to list them all here. And I didn't include any cheesesteaks on this list since I'm not a huge fan of them, a fact that feels sacrilegious to admit as a <a href="https://www.insider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-philadelphia-pennsylvania-2021-8">Philly native</a>.</p><p>However, these 12 restaurants are my tried-and-true favorites that every first-time visitor should try during a trip to Philadelphia.</p><h2><strong>South Philly Barbacoa lives up to its reputation as the Mexican restaurant with the best tacos in Philadelphia</strong></h2><div type="image" title="South Philly Barbacoa plate of tacos" height="1200" width="1600" msid="97401875" hostid="261" sizebytes="200134"></div><p>If you can only eat one meal in Philly, it should be at South Philly Barbacoa.</p><p>Located in the Italian Market, it's not exactly a secret spot. The chef and owner, Cristina Martínez, was featured on season five of Netflix's "Chef's Table" and <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2022-james-beard-awards-nominees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won the James Beard Award</a> for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region in 2022.</p><p>South Philly Barbacoa is one of the few places where the hype is very, very real, and I consider the tacos the best in the city. On Saturdays and Sundays, the cash-only restaurant is only open from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m., but it's worth the effort to get there.</p><p>Order the barbacoa tacos. The <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-and-worst-things-to-eat-at-mexican-restaurants-2020-2">consommé with chickpeas and rice</a> is also not to be missed. </p><p>After your meal, <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-things-to-do-philadelphia-pennsylvania-according-to-local-2021-6">explore the Italian Market</a>, browse the shelves at Molly's Books and Records, or grab a beer at the DiBruno Bros. Bottle Shop up the street. </p><h2><strong>Blue Corn,</strong><strong> another Mexican restaurant in the Italian Market, is perfect for a laid-back group outing </strong></h2><p>Another Italian Market stalwart, <a href="https://www.bluecornmexphilly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blue Corn</a> is a Mexican restaurant that's great for a group outing, especially in the summer.</p><p>Sit on the sidewalk, order a margarita the size of your head, and split the whole grilled-fish entrée amongst your crew. </p><p>When you're done, <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-things-to-do-in-philadelphia-according-to-a-local-2021-8">walk down to Rim Cafe</a> for some gelato to cap off an ideal summer evening. </p><h2><strong>Buna Cafe in West Philly delivers large portions of flavor-packed Ethiopian food </strong></h2><div type="image" title="the writer eating at buna cafe in philly" height="1200" width="1600" msid="97401877" hostid="261" sizebytes="179490"></div><p>West Philly is known for its Ethiopian food, and <a href="https://www.bunacafephilly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buna Cafe</a> serves some of the best. </p><p>The doro wat, a chicken dish that's braised for hours, is reason enough to justify a trip across the Schuylkill River, and the restaurant also has great vegetarian options.</p><p>I love the <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-places-to-get-vegetarian-food-2018-10">vegetarian combo platter</a>. It includes your choice of shiro wat, which is ground chickpea stew, or misir wat, which is a red-lentil stew, and three other vegetable dishes piled on top of injera, a pancake-like flatbread. </p><p>The platter is large enough for two people to split or for one person to take home and keep as leftovers. The next morning, they can fry it up with injera and eggs for breakfast.</p><p>Buna Cafe is BYOB, so grab a six-pack or bottle of wine from the Local 44 bottle shop on your way out to West Philly. </p><h2><strong>You can't go wrong ordering from the menu at Gabriella's Vietnam </strong></h2><p>I've sent so many friends to <a href="https://gabriellasvietnam.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gabriella's Vietnam</a> that I'm starting to feel like its unofficial publicist. Just go into the meal with an empty stomach. </p><p>If you're not sure what to get, order some of the heavy hitters like the water-fern dumplings, the savory crepes, the shaken beef, and the catfish hot pot. </p><p>Gabriella's Vietnam is another BYOB joint, so bring something light, crisp, and refreshing. </p><h2><strong>Terakawa Ramen is my go-to stop during cold Philadelphia winters</strong></h2><div type="image" title="writer's friend eating ramen at terakawa in philly" height="1200" width="1600" msid="97401881" hostid="261" sizebytes="135848"></div><p>If you come to Philly in the winter, take yourself to <a href="https://terakawaramen.com/menu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Terakawa Ramen</a> in Chinatown. In my opinion, it's the <a href="https://www.insider.com/ways-to-make-ramen-taste-good-according-to-chefs">best ramen in the city</a>, and it always helps thaw my cold fingers.</p><p>I'm partial to the tan tan ramen and order it whenever I'm sick, but pretty much everything I've ordered from here is good. The pork onigiri is also a must-order, and it's only about $4.</p><p>Be warned that there may be long waits on weekend nights. If the line is too long, the options are plentiful in the surrounding blocks of Chinatown.</p><p>Walk around the corner for dim sum at Tom's, Szechuan at EMei, or hot pot at Nine Ting. Or, head to Terakawa's other location in University City, which I've found is usually less crowded. </p><h2><strong>Sky Cafe is an unassuming Indonesian restaurant with incredible food</strong></h2><p><a href="https://www.skycafephilly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sky Cafe</a> is an Indonesian restaurant off Washington Avenue, and the only reason I describe it as unassuming is that you may initially have trouble spotting it in the strip mall. </p><p>However, the food is incredible. Bring a crowd that's prepared to share, because the more people you come with, the more dishes you get to try. And you'll want to try everything.</p><p>If you've never had Indonesian food before, don't worry — the menu is covered with pictures of the dishes. If you're still unsure, the staff can help point you in the right direction. </p><h2><strong>Kalaya Thai Kitchen doesn't shy away from using real spices</strong></h2><div type="image" title="thai meal at Kalaya in philly" height="1142" width="1600" msid="97401883" hostid="261" sizebytes="182278"></div><p><a href="https://www.kalaya.net/kalaya-thai-kitchen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kalaya Thai Kitchen</a> is so good and popular that it recently moved from its tiny spot in the Italian Market to a new, much larger location in Fishtown.</p><p>Owner Chutatip "Nok" Suntaron makes <a href="https://blog.resy.com/2020/11/kalayas-chutatip-nok-suntaranon-wants-you-to-understand-real-thai-food/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">authentic Thai food</a>, and it's a far cry from the regular takeout fare many Americans are used to. The restaurant uses ingredients you may never have tried before, and some dishes have spice levels that aren't for the faint of heart. </p><p>In my opinion, it serves <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-best-and-worst-foods-to-order-at-thai-restaurants">some of the best Thai food in the country</a>. Not only will you walk away feeling stuffed, but you'll also leave with an entirely new understanding of Thai cuisine. </p><h2><strong>Royal Sushi &amp; Izakaya is a Japanese restaurant with an omakase sushi bar in the back </strong></h2><p>Whenever a friend visits Philadelphia, I suggest that we go to <a href="http://royalsushiandizakaya.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Royal Sushi &amp; Izakaya</a>. </p><p>Chef Jesse Ito owns the Japanese joint, which <a href="https://www.insider.com/secrets-from-sushi-chefs-2018-12">has a reservation-only omakase bar</a> in the back. The front bar and dining area fill up on a first-come, first-served basis and are arguably even more fun. </p><p>Choose from a wide selection of Izakaya-style small plates, order a fun cocktail, and sit back for some great people-watching. Whatever you do, don't skip the fried chicken wings.</p><h2><strong>Monk's Cafe is a beloved Philadelphia establishment with standout french fries</strong></h2><div type="image" title="exterior of monk's cafe in philly, neon sign out front" height="1200" width="1600" msid="97401885" hostid="261" sizebytes="184278"></div><p><a href="https://www.monkscafe.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monk's Cafe</a> near Rittenhouse Square has seemingly been around forever (my dad used to go to the Belgian spot back in the day). You'd be hard-pressed to find a Philadelphian who doesn't like it there. </p><p>It's appropriate for almost any occasion. I've killed an hour there by myself, joined friends for post-work drinks, and gone with my partner's family on a Sunday afternoon.</p><p>A bar with an impressive beer list, Monk's Cafe also serves <a href="https://www.insider.com/everything-you-have-to-eat-in-philadelphia-according-to-a-local">some of my favorite french fries in the city</a>, which you can order on their own — I've eaten an entire basket myself — or as a side to a towering bucket of mussels. </p><p>With dark wood paneling, long smooth booths, and an endless list of beers on tap, Monk's Cafe is the kind of place you can easily sit for hours.</p><h2><strong>Middle Child is known for its hoagies, and no trip to Philly is complete without one</strong></h2><div type="image" title="phoagie from middle child in philly" height="1211" width="1600" msid="97401888" hostid="261" sizebytes="145980"></div><p>The Philadelphia hoagie — a sandwich on a long Italian roll that's typically packed with meats, cheeses, veggies, and sauces — is a staple in this city. We know it, we love it, and we're all very proud of it. </p><p>You can't come to Philly and not get a hoagie, and <a href="https://middlechildphilly.com/menu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Middle Child</a> has long been making some of the best. </p><p>The restaurant's Phoagie, a vegetarian bahn mi-style sandwich, is one of my favorites, but its turkey club with housemade pickles and cranberry-miso mayo is pretty unbeatable, too. </p><p>Middle Child also <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-breakfast-sandwiches-look-like-around-the-world-2019-6">serves breakfast sandwiches</a> until 11 a.m., though I've never made it downtown early enough to snag one.</p><p>When you're done, walk over to Dirty Franks, a cash-only bar with a longstanding rotation of regulars that always makes for an entertaining evening. One of them might even ask you to play a game of Scrabble.   </p><h2><strong>Fiorella is a quaint pasta bar in the Italian Market</strong></h2><p><a href="https://fiorellaphilly.com/menu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fiorella</a> is a <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-authentic-italian-food-is-like-2018-3">tiny pasta restaurant</a> owned by Marc Vetri — a <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/chef/marc-vetri-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Beard Award-winning chef</a> and restaurateur, and it's one of my favorite restaurants.</p><p>I recently went with a friend on a cold December night. We sat at the bar, ordered cacio e pepe and sausage ragu, talked for hours over our glasses of wine, and finished the meal with olive oil cake. It was perfect. </p><p>If you're hoping to visit Fiorella, be sure to plan ahead and don't bring a crowd. There are only a handful of tables and bar seats, so it's worth making a reservation.</p><h2><strong>Go to Korshak Bagels for a high-quality, filling breakfast</strong></h2><p><a href="https://korshakbagels.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Korshak</a> is not your ordinary bagel shop. It's loaded with character.</p><p>There's a line of poetry written over the front door, and all of its bagels are made with a wild yeast-fermented starter named Helen Mirren. Korshak, run by Philip Korshak, also makes the best bagels in Philly.</p><p>Whenever I go, I buy a half dozen to keep in my freezer, and they're usually gone within a week. </p><p>Korshak offers the classic breakfast sandwiches one might expect at a bagel shop but also has specials like the Red Molly, a pulled-pork bagel sandwich with horseradish cheddar and pickles.</p>

I used to work as a chef in Philadelphia. Here are the 12 restaurants I always recommend to first-time visitors.

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Chef Cristina Martinez has won a James Beard Award and appeared on 'Chef's Table.' But she says her greatest accomplishment was escaping domestic abuse.

Rachel Askinasi

I used to work as a chef in Philadelphia. Here are the 12 restaurants I always recommend to first-time visitors.

Grace Kennedy

Check out the more than 50 pitch decks fintechs used to raise millions in funding from top investors

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