Clara Gonzalez: Author at Tia Clara's Dominican Cooking

En Español

Clara Gonzalez is a food writer, professional culinary photographer, cookbook author, & founder of Tia Clara® & Tia Clara's Dominican Cooking, where she's shared her love for food for over 25 years.

Check our about page for more about this site and our work.

Clara Gonzalez (Tia Clara)

Nomadic Liniera

I am the founder and editor of Dominican Cooking and Cocina Dominicana, and I am Dominican -- born and bred.

A little personal

I was born in Montecristi (hence liniera), but I have lived in several regions of the country, and have spent time in many more.

El morro de Montecristi. — El Morro de Montecristi.

I love exploring the food culture in towns, campos, and cities all over the Dominican Republic, and have been to every province in our country. As a montecristeña living in Punta Cana, I can say that I've crossed the country corner to corner.

Valle Nuevo, Constanza piramid and Dominican flag. — Piramid marking the geographical center of the Dominican Republic.

I am an introvert, but love connecting with people over the subject of Dominican food -- something I can't shut up about. This probably explains the longevity of this project.

I have been writing about Dominican cuisine and developing recipes for 25 years for online and print publications (starting with this one).

Margot Dunker and Aunt Clara — Clara (left) and Margot Dunker, learning more about Dominican Cocolo food and culture.

I have been married for decades, and I have a young daughter currently in university.

My family is my source of happiness and inspiration. While, in their role of cheerleaders and food tasters -- and sometimes harsh critics of my cooking, they are a part of this endeavor, neither has any kind of internet presence. They are just happy to eat my experiments.

Casita dominicana. — We dream of owning a casita like this. Don't we all?

Photography is another source of joy for me, and one of my favorite creative outlets. I did commissioned work for print and online publications over the last two decades.

You can see my (very-outdated) portfolio here as I am currently only working for my own publications.

Clara Gonzalez. — Message on store window.

I love travelling, and love spending time in markets and little mom 'n pop restaurants wherever I go.

I was a lifelong avid reader, but nowadays listen to more audiobooks than I actually read. I blame old age for that.

Crafting is another of my happy places, and I am a reasonably good sewist, embroiderer, crocheter and knitter.

Books

I am a co-author of the book Yo Cocino Latino (Grijalbo, 2021) and have authored three books on Dominican cooking (currently out of print): 100 Dominican Recipes, Traditional Dominican Cookery, and Aunt Clara's Dominican Recipes.

Social media