Allrecipes Cook to Follow: Yolanda Gutierrez

Yoly is one of the 60 million cooks in our Allrecipes community as well as an Allrecipes Allstar.

Also known as: Yolanda Gutierrez, 68, from Downey, California

Who I cook for: Myself and my partner, Dallas

Day jobs: Wife, mom, grandmother, retiree, and Allrecipes Allstar

What I did before retiring: I was a general manager at El Torito and Acapulco Mexican Restaurant chains, opening five new restaurants for them. After that, I was a stay-at-home housewife for 10 years. Not wanting to stay home 24/7, I bartended part-time at several well-known restaurants.

Best cook I know: My mother

Dish I make that others like most: My chicken tortilla casserole. It's not the prettiest, but it's so delicious.

My superpower: I am great at piping and decorating cakes. I have made five-tier wedding cakes — old-school with buttercream, not fondant.

Christmas baking traditions at my house: We have one daughter and five grandchildren (the loves of our lives), and each one has a favorite. So I always make Mexican wedding cookies, sugared pecans, fudge walnut brownies, Italian cream cake, no-bake peanut butter squares, and Key lime pie for Christmas Day. I also make spritz cookies for everyone.

My kitchen is: My stress reliever!

Kitchen tool I can't live without: My Vitamix.

How I got into motorcycles: I was 18 the first time I got on a motorcycle, and it was a Harley-Davidson. I knew then and there that I would own one someday. The next year I bought my first bike, a Honda Lowrider. I had two other Hondas after that. And in 1999, I bought my 2000 Harley-Davidson Sportster, customizing the paint (it's purple with flames) and replacing every aluminum part with chrome. I love it, and I love to ride.

Favorite world cuisine: Mexican. I was born and raised in Marina del Rey, California, but my mother was from Guadalajara, Mexico, and my father was an American citizen of Mexican and Filipino heritage.

I would tell you my secret recipe for jalapeño-infused tequila, but: Then we'd have to make margaritas! The first time I made pepper-infused tequila, I served myself a shot of it and nearly choked to death. It's good for margaritas, not for shots! I always use top-grade tequila that I bring back from my travels to Mexico. It gives margaritas a nice, smooth, spicy kick.

Get the recipe for Yoly's Mezcal Madras.

What I like most about Allrecipes: Finding, making, and experimenting with new recipes, plus the friendships I have made with other cooks since becoming an Allstar. I love to read about new products in the magazine, and I love the pictures and reviews with the featured recipes.

What I do when not baking or biking: Travel! Over the last seven years, I have gone to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, Maryland, and Georgia, as well as to Bali and to different parts of Mexico: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Mazamitla, Cancún, Riviera Maya, Mérida, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlán. When I'm not traveling, I hang out with my BFF, Gwen Tolleson, and we eat at restaurants we've never tried. I also love to watch Mexican soap operas.

For my last meal on Earth, I want: Alaskan king crab legs! I tried them when I was 15. They changed my life.

Check out the delicious recipes that Yoly is cooking up in her kitchen.

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