When Claudia Martínez was first featured on our cover, she was a pastry chef at Tiny Lou, the restaurant at the bottom of Atlanta’s Hotel Clermont. Since then, she’s gotten a lot of recognition, including being named one of the Eater Young Guns in 2019 and named a finalist by the James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2022. She’s also participated in numerous events, including The Family Reunion with Kwame Onwuachi, the FORTUNE Most Powerful Women Summit, and the Charleston Wine + Food Fest. She joined Miller Union as an executive pastry chef in 2021.
Major takeaways from your years in the hospitality industry?
I’ve learned to be patient with growth, learn from different experiences, collaborating with others to see us all succeed. To continue to show respect for others to create a positive space where people continue to want to work in hospitality. And to stay true to my values and not let the pressure affect being able to speak up for myself.
How do you feel the hospitality industry has changed since 2018?
The hospitality industry has gotten stronger since 2020. COVID shed light on how we are essential workers and continue to push for worker rights, speaking up against sexual harassment, and shedding light on mental health in our industry.
We still have work to do, but I think it’s a good beginning to make people in the industry empowered to be proactive in making our industry less toxic. I think more chefs are pushing for change and continuing to push the boundaries in the kitchen and hospitality to change how we dine and eat.
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