María Elena Torruco

For nearly two decades, María Elena Torruco held onto a USB containing her university thesis. The subject was etiquette and protocol, but the idea behind it was much more personal: what does it really mean to make someone feel welcome?

In 2025, that research finally became Bienvenidos a mi mesa (Welcome to my table), Torruco’s first book. Rather than focusing simply on which fork goes where or how to set the perfect table, she approached hospitality through Mexican culture, family memories, food, craftsmanship, and the people who bring a gathering to life.

Much of that came from home. Torruco grew up watching her mother, Gloria Garza, receive guests with warmth and attention, while her father, Miguel Torruco Marqués, taught her to cook and encouraged her interest in Mexican traditions. She later earned a degree in gastronomy, continued her culinary training in Paris, and became director of gastronomy and special projects at the Escuela Panamericana de Hotelería before founding her own consultancy for the gastronomy and tourism industries.

Those different parts of her life come together in Bienvenidos a mi mesa. The book moves through the history of etiquette, tableware, and Mexican traditions while weaving in recipes and stories from Torruco’s own family. A Día de Muertos chapter honors her grandmother, Golden Age actress María Elena Marqués, while other sections preserve memories of her maternal grandparents and their history in northern Mexico.

The project quickly traveled beyond her own table. In November 2025, the book took first place in two categories at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, including Best Fund Raising Book in the World. A percentage of its profits benefits El Espacio de Michelle, the organization founded by Torruco’s sister that supports children and adolescents with Down syndrome and their families.

By 2026, its reach had continued to grow. Torruco presented the book in Madrid during FITUR, received the public-voted Excelencias Gourmet award, and collaborated with Huakal around Mexican craftsmanship and the artisans whose work keeps those traditions alive.

She also brought that philosophy into one of Mexico City’s best-known luxury hotels. For the unveiling of the renovated John Jacob Astor Suite at The St. Regis Mexico City, Torruco curated the table, and copies of her book were placed throughout the hotel’s suites.

For Torruco, hospitality has never been about formality for formality’s sake. Her work is about preserving where we come from while making sure there is always room for someone else at the table.