Maricel Presilla formally trained in cultural anthropology and has done considerable research on the food crops of the Americas. Presilla gained her professional culinary training at Felipe Rojas-Lombardi Ballroom restaurant in New York and the French Culinary Institute. She has given lectures on Spanish and Latin American food and history to diverse culinary organizations, including the Smithsonian Institute, the Schlesinger Library at Harvard, the James Beard Foundation, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Her work and recipes have been featured in the New York Times, the Miami Herald, Food and Wine and Gourmet among others. She is also the co-owner and chef of Zafra, a pan-Latin restaurant in Hoboken, New Jersey.