For someone who didn't set out on a career in food, Pati Jinich has certainly gone places. Jinich grew up in Mexico in a Jewish-Mexican home, and after moving to the United States with her husband, she initially pursued a career in international relations. But life had other things in mind. Jinich today is the resident chef of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, DC, hosts the PBS series, Pati's Mexican Table, and has even cooked at the White House. Her latest book is a celebration of all the things Mexican food has become in modern Mexico. Mexican Today features recipes from contemporary Mexican cuisine, which incorporates all the various ethnic traditions that have been taken under the Mexican umbrella. "Mexican cuisine is so strong, it's such a strong mother cuisine. It has such strong pillars that it has the strength and the power to welcome new cuisines and influences, and ingredients," says Jinich. "You know, you have Mexican pasta, you have Mexican sushi, you have