To celebrate Mother’s Day this year we caught up with Despierta America‘s resident Chef and the recent winner of Univision‘s “Mira Quién Baila, Jesús Diaz, better know as Chef Yisus. Check below for an easy and tasty recipe to prepare for the most special mom in your life, and make it a truly memorable holiday. 

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Diaz came to the U.S. on a baseball college scholarship where he has forced to cook his own meals and found his passion for cooking. He traded his baseball bat for a spatula at his local iHop where he started as a dishwasher but quickly moved up the ranks by learning the operational side of the business. Years later he opened his own restaurant, defined and perfected his own style and published a cookbook where he shared flavors from his childhood, the meals of his first years as an emigrant and his family life. Today Chef  Yisus is the resident chef on the #1 morning show Despierta America on the Univision network and has won two Emmys for his work.

As Chef Yisus puts it, “For Mother’s Day, I love to surprise my wife with breakfast-in-bed which I cook with the help of my daughters Anabella and Silvana. We make Venezuelan arepas, fruit salad, and buñuelos (fritters) that my wife loves so much. My daughters are cheese lovers and making buñuelos together is a fun activity for them – preparing the dough and forming the buñuelos balls is like playing with playdough in their eyes. It makes a mess at home, but it ultimately makes them happy because we share that time together as a family and, in addition, we do something nice for their mom on her special day.”

Venezuelan Style Buñuelos
Ingredients:
1 cup of vegetable oil for frying
¾ cup of cornstarch
¼ cup of cassava flour
1 pound grated fresh cheese (Queso fresco)
cup of honey
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of milk

Time: 40 minutes | Portions: 6

Instructions:
1. Place all the ingredients except the oil in a medium bowl and mix well with your hands until you
get a smooth batter.
2. Form small dough balls with your hands.
3. In a deep pot, heat the vegetable oil to 350° F (medium to hot). Carefully drop the balls into the
warm oil and fry them for about 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure they are evenly browned.
4. Remove the buñuelos from the oil and put them to drain on a plate lined with paper towels.