Havana Road

About Us

Marta recently launched CT Productions, a media enterprise to develop her first cookbook, "Buen Provecho de Havana." Marta is also developing a Cuban cooking show for television featuring family recipes for classical dishes, as well as her own original recipes with a modern spin, "Cuban Tapas."

Marta was born on the island of Cuba and spent her early formative years surrounded by the exotic flavors, scents, and sounds of her native country. Her love of Cuban food and distinct style of cooking emanates from childhood memories of her extended family, their friends, ethnic traditions, and island culture.

On January 5, 1962, Marta, her parents Miguel and Marta, sisters Maria and Desi, and grandmother Ines, left Cuba on one of the last Pan American Freedom Flights. Marta's father, an employee at Guantanamo Bay naval base, was able to secure U.S. travel visas for the entire family. Upon arriving in the United States, the Quintana family settled in Hollywood, Florida. It was there that Marta first learned to cook, watching her grandmother and parents create delicious meals in their tiny kitchen with only a meager budget for food. From this humble beginning, Marta developed her personal style of cooking that she carries through to this day, understanding early on that by using fresh ingredients, she too could capture the essence of Cuban flavor, please palates, and make the recipes accessible to many people.

Before embarking on her career as a chef, Marta served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Premium Health Services, a pharmaceutical distribution company in Columbia, Maryland. Prior to that, in 1996 Marta launched API Conference Management, a special events marketing firm, and enjoyed a successful eight-year run as president. Marta also was a corporate director of marketing and sales for a number of hospitality companies, working with Potomac Hotel Group in Washington, DC, Aramark in Mt. Washington, and Sheraton Baltimore North. Marta's formal education was in public relations and Spanish, earning her B.A. from Towson State University in Towson, Maryland.

Marta has a daughter, Ines Maria, a cum laude graduate of the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore. Ines Maria is a cake artist and the owner of Crazy Kakes and Confections, a well-known bakery in the greater Baltimore area. Ines Maria is currently enrolled at the law school at the University of Baltimore, matriculating in the fall of 2009.

Marta resides in Lutherville, Maryland with her husband Tim and their two dogs, Jada and Rex.