Claudia Martinez
Miller Union | Atlanta
April 2023
Claudia Martinez has been in the kitchen since she was a kid, cooking with her family and finding inspiration from her grandmother’s baked goods. After high school, Martinez enrolled in the culinary program at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, she focused on savory and learned to appreciate the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Martinez graduated in 2015 and went into the management side, but after a while, felt something was missing. She was at a crossroads: continue in management, or dive back into the kitchen. Martinez chose the latter, and took a position at Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta under Rising Stars alum Aaron Russell. She worked her way through every station, and was eventually offered a job as pastry chef. Unsure about what she wanted her next step to be, Martinez declined the offer, and moved to Sweden in 2017 to study pastry at the Scandic Laholmen hotel under Chef David Vidal, and learned to incorporate savory elements into her desserts.
Martinez moved back to Atlanta, and after some time on the line at Atlas, accepted her first official pastry job at Tiny Lou’s. Over the next two years, Martinez continued to grow her pastry skills, but when the pandemic hit, she was once again at a crossroads. In March 2021, Martinez joined the team at Miller Union under Chef Steven Satterfield. As executive pastry chef, she infuses Southern staples with classic French techniques and South American flavors that reflect her culinary experiences and Venezuelan background: like her creamsicle mousse with gingersnap crumble and passion fruit ganache. Martinez aims to structure her menu around the seasons—sourcing locally and sustainably—while remaining especially conscious about food waste, often incorporating kitchen extras into her desserts.
