For Giovanna Huyke, Brain Health Starts in the Kitchen

The Puerto Rican chef shares her tips for cooking light and staying connected with others

Yari Aponte

Updated September 23, 2026

En español

Updated September 23, 2026

For most people, gathering with friends or family to play dominoes, cook and share a meal is simply a nice way to spend an evening. But for renowned Puerto Rican chef, TV personality and author, Giovanna Huyke, these activities are also a way to keep her brain healthy and strengthen social connections.

Giovanna has adopted simple, enjoyable habits to support her brain health. “Let’s get together, let’s cook, let’s do something. That’s key to having good health: How social you are,” she says. “Reach out like when you were 13 and when you were 22. You went anywhere and you made friends in two seconds, why not at this time?”

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Huyke shared her approach to brain-healthy cooking with AARP CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan on a recent summer afternoon in Puerto Rico. “At AARP, we want people to see that living healthier for longer is shaped by so much of what happens in our everyday lives. My time with Giovanna brought that to life beautifully,” Minter-Jordan says.

“Cooking together, laughing, sharing stories and gathering around a table can bring us tremendous joy, plus these moments help strengthen the social connections that support our brain health, our physical health and our overall quality of life. That is why conversations like this matter. Each new stage of life invites us to broaden how we think about health and recognize the powerful role that connection, purpose and joy can play in helping us live not only longer, but better.”

Huyke’s first love was theater. At 19, she moved from San Juan to New Orleans to study acting but soon found herself at the Lee Barnes Cooking School. She was working with celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme by age 20. She is a fierce promoter of the flavors of Puerto Rico and its local ingredients, a true ambassador introducing the island’s cuisine to the world. She has published more than six cookbooks and has hosted TV cooking shows for close to 25 years.

The Puerto Rican chef, age 69, spoke with AARP about how she combines healthy cooking with social connections. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

You are busy working, promoting your new book and moving into a new home with your daughter, an artist. What daily habits help you feel focused, healthy and nourished during the day?

Well, there are three things. First, I haven’t eaten anything processed in the last 37 years. And I limit my coffee and my salt. I cook trying to preserve the natural taste of things without overly seasoning. My palate is accustomed to lower salt. My breakfast and my snacks are light, my lunch is a lot stronger. I take my time to really have a good meal. At dinner, I have whatever I haven’t had during the day. If I didn’t eat enough fruit, I’ll have more fruit; if I didn’t have enough vegetables, I will have vegetables. Puerto Ricans love coffee; we call it cafecito. I have a very light coffee in the morning, really watery, but in the afternoon, that’s when I drink my strong coffee of the day.

What did you learn from your parents about aging and brain health?

My mother was a cooking teacher and was so sharp at 95. One of the things that I learned from my parents was dominoes. The game has two benefits. You must invite people to play, so it’s very social. And you don’t realize how much math you’re using, how much reasoning. You’re sharpening your skills. With cooking, I do the same thing.

You have called cooking “an art that touches all the senses.” How does cooking keep your mind engaged?

Cooking involves a lot of planning. I love to improvise in the kitchen, and I always tell people to improvise because it’s a lot more fun, and that way you make that recipe your own. When you are alone, read and look for ideas. A lot of people think that after a certain age, you don’t use a computer or don’t go on the internet, but we search (the web), we look for recipes, we learn and we love it.

In your video with AARP CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, you talked about becoming an empty nester and how it inspired you to connect with friends and family by sharing food and cooking together. Tell us about the gatherings.

How Giovanna Huyke makes some favorites more brain-friendly

Coffee: Use oat milk or soy milk, which contain less fat than whole milk.
Rice: Use less oil. Sauté the rice first in one tablespoon of oil.
Empanadas: Bake them in the oven. Empanadas are about what you put inside. Start with a quarter of the oil the recipe calls for. When everything is sautéing, add a little bit of water or stock. That steam will cook without the use of much fat. And you’re going to extract more flavor.
Potato Salad: Replace some of the mayonnaise with yogurt to give the salad a nice tang. Use a little bit of pickle juice to add more flavor.
Ceviche: Use very fresh fish, lime juice, onions, cilantro and just a little bit of hot pepper if you like some heat.

That entails a lot of phone calls: ‘When are we going to meet? Are we doing this?’ Sometimes we go together to the market. Other times, we just get together and everybody brings something, even if it’s just a story to share. It’s never more than four people, it is very manageable and you can have great conversations.

In those gatherings is there a dish you have made multiple times because everybody loved it?

We always go to pasta. It’s something that we all love, it is very comforting. Even though it’s not a typical Puerto Rican dish, we make it our way. A typical pasta in Puerto Rico is spaghetti with chicken that has been stewed with our sofrito. It’s really good. We’ve also done it with bacalao (cod fish). Puerto Ricans are one of the best stewers in the world.

When you think about eating for brain health, what foods or ingredients do you make sure to include regularly in your own kitchen?

I do smoothies, and I always add something green. I always have kale or spinach. I always add a little bit of ginger. We grow a lot of turmeric here, so I always have some fresh turmeric. And I always have fruit.

Sometimes we forget how rich in nutrients eggs are. We forget a good frittata is just about mixing vegetables and then using your eggs to bind it up and adding a little bit of cheese. I do not believe in eliminating anything. You have to give yourself some good little things and eat well, so you satisfy your full palate. I use olive oil. I use tons of garlic and beans. I do eat rice once in a while, but I eat it with beans. I make enough beans, so the next day I make them in soup.

In the video you cooked a whole fish. Can you share a substitute for people that feel intimidated?

You can use a fish fillet instead. The oven is one of the easiest ways to cook fish. It usually takes 8 to 14 minutes. Put a little olive oil and sea salt on each side and then put it in the oven. Use lemon after cooking, so it doesn’t change the texture of the fish.

Your new book, “Lo Mejor de Mi Cocina,” includes 300 recipes. Is there a common thread you wanted the book to convey?

The book is full of so many memories. I have always wanted to make everything healthier. These are 300 recipes from 19 booklets I published during the La Cocina de Giovanna TV show. These recipes are not written with long explanations. This cookbook has recipes like the ones your aunt would send you. I wanted these recipes to be fast and easy.

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