From Zarela Casa to your home

It would seem like a natural progression for a woman renown for her skills in the kitchen to extend that same savvy business plan to designing her own line of kitchen accessories. And that's exactly what Zarela Martinez has done.

"I have always had a life plan," said Martinez from her New York home. "To open a restaurant, to write a book, to have a TV show, to have a line. And this is the culmination of that one goal."

Martinez, who found success opening her restaurant Zarela in New York in 1987, has become a bit of an icon on the Mexican heritage scene.

Three years ago when she was approached by Wal-Mart to design an affordable line for kitchen accessories, she jumped at the opportunity.

"In 2004, when the demographics changed according to a Census study, everyone wanted a Latina line," she said, explaining how her popularity in commercial and social circles prompted the offer.

"I entertain a lot. I love Mexican arts and crafts, and I collect them," she said, describing her inspiration for the project that's close to her heart.

Today, three years later and three lines later, Martinez has seen success. Letters from consumers attest to the fact that she has hit on something: "Thank you for being proud of our culture," and "For the first time I can express myself in my home," they read.

From the Medallion Stripe tablecloth and runner with its deep red center and magenta, yellow-orange, and blue and green stripes, to the charming blue and white pottery patterns of Puebla, the line effuses the whimsy you remember from that summer vacation across the border.

In Florecita, Martinez chose to represent a reinterpretation of her favorite embroidered textile from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

"With my restaurant, I made it my mission to bring in traditional Mexican food and with the line that's carried over," she said. "You can see it in the Azteca grecas, or symbols, seen on every Mexican temple."

For her success, from the restaurant to the design business, Martinez credits much of her good fortune to her Mexican finishing school roots.

"I was born in Sonora and raised in Chihuahua. But because it was a ranch, there were no schools," she said. "So, I was sent off to an American boarding school in Texas. After I finished, I went back and started finishing school in Mexico."

As Martinez experienced it, finishing school in Mexico meant learning to become a wife -- not exactly the dream of a young woman with a life plan. After a year, Martinez told her father she was meant for bigger things and headed to Guadalajara and a degree in mass communications.

"Now that I think about it, I learned a lot in finishing school," she said. "I learned how to shadow embroider on organza, that helps with fabrics, and I learned how a housewife thinks."

While the first two lines of Zarela Casa were aimed at Hispanic shoppers with its Folkloric patterns, the latest is targeted at a more general market, according to Martinez. This is evidenced in the Carmen pattern, a rich plaid composed of chocolate and turquoise hues and named for her aunt.

Prices for Zarela Casa accessories range from around $3 for a pot holder to $5 for a napkin two-pack to $15 for a table runner and a tablecloth.

To learn more about Martinez or Zarela Casa, visit www.zarela.com.