The Truth About Marcela Valladolid's Relationship

Before Marcela Valladolid was a Food Network star, she honed her chef skills at her aunt's cooking school in Tijuana, Mexico, according to The Sun.

Valladolid attended the Los Angeles Culinary Institute, but later returned to Tijuana to launch her own cooking school. She eventually became a recipe stylist at Bon Appétit magazine and even starred on the 2005 show "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart," where she ended with a fourth-place finish. Her big break came when she hosted "Mexican Made Easy" on the Food Network, and according to The Baltimore Sun, she was the first Latina to host a primetime show on the network. She also co-hosted "The Kitchen," but reportedly left to be closer to her family.

Valladolid still shares recipes on social media, but told BuzzFeed in March 2019 that she's changed over the years. "I want to listen. I want to talk to people. I want to connect with people," she said. She may be a force in the cooking world, but she has quite a life outside of the kitchen. Keep reading for more details about her personal life, specifically her relationship with Philip Button.

Marcela Valladolid met her partner Philip Button at a Los Angeles nightclub when he was working in the mailroom at William Morris Agency, according to a November 2018 interview with The Baltimore Sun. They were in a serious relationship for a few years when she worked on her pastry degree in Paris, but their relationship came to a halt when she moved back to Tijuana to get her cooking school and catering company off the ground.

However, Button reportedly came back into her life in 2013 and they were both divorced at the time. "I wasn't happy with where I was. My son (Fausto) was the only thing I was proud of at the moment," she said. As soon as she reached out to Button, they picked up right where they left off. "I've known Philip half my life, but we had both changed so much. We had to get to know each other all over again. It was a beautiful full circle moment for us," she said.

Valladolid and Button seem to only have eyes for each other and live in San Diego with her son Fausto and their two children David and Anna Carina, per his website.