Ignacio Urquiza Bio:

Ignacio Urquiza, or Nacho to those who know him best, was practically born with a camera in his hand. Childhood photos document him behind the lens at age three. He has since studied professionally in Italy with Ernest Hass, Art Kane, Harold Edgerton, Aldo Ballo and other world-renown photographers.  To commemorate thirty years in the business and 20 years as the founding partner and principal photographer of Estudio Urquiza (Mexico’s pre-eminent studio specializing in food, travel, and architectural photography) Nacho’s publisher Ambar Designs FPI honored him with the gift of a coffee-table retrospective of his beautiful images. Ignacio Urquiza: a Thirty Year History.

Nacho’s has published over 60 books, among them Estrellas de Paris (winner of two 2004 World Cookbook Awards - Best French Cuisine and Best Photography) and Los Sabores de Mónica Patiño (winner of 2005 Cordon d’Or Award for Foreign Language Illustrated Cookbook and 2004 World Cookbook Award for Best Woman Chef Book.)  This past December, he was the Grand Prize/Overall Winner for all categories at the Cordon d’Or awards.  He has recently exhibited in Seattle’s juried show Palate & Palatte.

Nacho has collaborated with the best and brightest cookbook authors, in Mexico and around the globe.  Among them are NY City chef Richard Sandoval (Modern Mexican Flavors), Marilyn Tausend (Savoring México and Mexico, The Beautiful Cookbook), the doyenne of Mexican cooking Patricia Quintana (Taste of Mexico) and the daughter of Diego Rivera (Frida’s Fiestas by Guadalupe Rivera & Marie-Pierre Colle).    In addition, Nacho has an extensive portfolio of corporate clients, including AeroMexico’s premier magazine Tips, Nestlé, McCormick, Kikkoman, Barilla, Wal-Mart, and Kraft.

Nacho, called “The Professor” by his students, has been leading photography workshops since 2003 in Oaxaca, Teotitlán del Valle,  Italy, South Africa and Botswana.