Marie Elena Martinez is the founder of New Worlder and the Founder of culinary events brand Meets NYC. After a 10-year stint in literary PR at HarperCollins Publishers, Martinez spent seven years chasing her passions—food and travel—in a trip around the world that spanned six continents, and over fifty countries. Her affinity for Latin countries and their corresponding cuisines grew stronger as she spent time in these foreign spaces. Upon returning to the United States, Martinez became a leading freelance travel, food, and lifestyle writer, contributing to print publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, W, Women’s Adventure, and websites like The Daily Meal, Conde Nast Traveler, Fodors.com, Jetsetter.com, and Men’s Fitness. She has been a writer for various Fodor’s Guides and Wallpaper City Guides. In addition to New Worlder, her Meets NYC project has showcased two destinations: Baja and Puerto Rico with upcoming plans for a third installment in 2017.