is an award-winning writer & the first Puerto Rican food columnist in the United States.

Her San Francisco Chronicle column, Cocina Boricua, focused on food throughout the Puerto Rican diaspora. She has dedicated her career to documenting Puerto Rican recipes, including her family's, and preserving the Puerto Rican diaspora's disappearing foodways through rigorous, often bilingual research.

illyanna won the 2023 James Beard award for her debut book, Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook. She has collaborated with José Andrés on Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story wrap party. Her work has been featured with Rancho Gordo, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Food & Wine, Lucky Peach, Food52, Los Angeles Times, and more.

Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook

Illyanna Maisonet spent years documenting her family’s Puerto Rican recipes and preserving the island’s disappearing foodways through rigorous, often bilingual research. In Diasporican, she shares over 90 recipes, some of which were passed down from her grandmother and mother—classics such as Tostones, Pernil, and Arroz con Gandules, as well as Pinchos with BBQ Guava Sauce, Rabbit Fricassee with Chayote, and Flan de Queso.

Good Morning America

Chefs Illyanna Maisonet, Veronica and Linda Garza, and Mariana Velasquez share their favorite empanada recipes you can make at home. Recipes here.

illyanna james beard

Selected Writings

Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America

“This book BRINGS IT: In voice, instructions, visuals, history, education, and hilarity—a decolonization of the cookbook world like few others.”

Steve Sando, founder and owner of Rancho Gordo

“Puerto Rico has a unique niche in the cuisine of the Americas, and I can't imagine a happier situation than having lllyanna Maisonet as a guide. Diasporican is the kind of book that makes you want to run to the kitchen and then book a flight.”

  • José Andrés, chef, cookbook author, and founder of World Central Kitchen

    “lllyanna brings her brilliant, sincere perspective to tell us about the impact and influence of the food of the Puerto Rican Diaspora. Boriquen people have been dispersed over generations, by every force from colonialism to Hurricane Maria, and lllyanna’s own story is defined by the same resilience and sazón that flavors the food of the Isla del Encanto. Diasporican is a delicious journey through purpose, place, and the power of food that you won't want to miss.”

  • Alicia Kennedy, food writer

    “Somehow, lllyanna can make you laugh out loud while you're reading the pantry section of her cookbook. That’s how bold, bright, and alive her voice is, and that's why she has created something with Diasporican that no one else could: a brilliant and heart-breaking ode to the disconnect of diaspora identity and all the delicious fruits of such a rupture. She ignores no pain yet lets no joke go untold as she gives us her singular spin on a cuisine that contains seemingly endless mystery, possibility, and flavor.”

  • Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America

    “This book BRINGS IT: In voice, instructions, visuals, history, education, and hilarity—a decolonization of the cookbook world like few others.

  • Steve Sando, founder and owner of Rancho Gordo

    “Puerto Rico has a unique niche in the cuisine of the Americas, and I can't imagine a happier situation than having lllyanna Maisonet as a guide. Diasporican is the kind of book that makes you want to run to the kitchen and then book a flight.”

  • Pati Jinich, Mexican chef, cookbook author, and television host

    “Finally, a most overdue book that builds a bridge to understanding and opens a door into the food and culture of Puerto Ricans. And it has arrived from none other than lllyanna Maisonet, who has the power to bring us all in through her raw honesty, true grit, unbridled passion, and irresistible sazón. This is a treasure of a book-an honor to hold, a delight to read, and a feast to cook from.”

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ADOBO

Just like every family has their own way of making coquito and arroz con gandules, each family has a personal blend of adobo seasoning spices: turmeric for deep color, oregano for deep flavor and garlic for deep soul! Adobo seasoning has endless possibilities as an addition to dry rubs and wet marinades. Use it for roasted chicken, barbecue and grilled seafood.

SAZÓN

Sazón means identity, history, and comfort and creates the foundational flavor of Puerto Rican food. A savory, earthy blend based on garlic, cumin and achiote seeds, this sazón is the only sazón on the market that is made with wild achiote sourced directly from San Sebastián, Puerto Rico. It brings tons of flavor without any MSG or salt. I use it on my taco fillings, moles, stir fry and stews.