Founder & Chef Owner

Lily is the founder of Picado and author of the award winning book, TACOS by Blasta Books. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, she has been living and cooking in Ireland for over 20 years with her Irish husband and business partner, Alan. When not busy with work, Lily can be found in her kitchen experimenting with recipes, writing on her kitchen table and learning to grow food in her tiny urban garden. She is a chef member of Euro-Toques Ireland, a member of The Irish Food Writers’ Guild and she passionately believes in the Slow Food ethos of good, clean and fair food. Lily is a regular face on Irish morning TV and a frequent radio contributor.

Retail Manager

Liz grew up in a multi-cultural family. Born in Mexico City to a Mexican mom and an English dad. She moved around the world a lot and grew up in The Netherlands. She has lived in Ireland since 2000. You can find her either reading, walking her two dogs, watching K-drama or in the kitchen bringing a fusion of flavours from around the world to the table. Her huge amount of cookbooks could fill a small library and her kids and American-Irish husband get to taste it all. She loves chatting to customers and giving them recipe ideas when they don’t know where to start.

Warehouse & Logistics Manager

Juan Pablo is a man of many talents. An accountant by trade, most of his professional experience was spent in large warehousing operations in Mexico, so Picado’s warehouse is a breeze since he joined the team. He is also a very accomplished cook and can talk about food as much as any of our chefs. Originally from Mexico City, his hobbies include exercising, gardening and traveling to learn about other cultures. His favourite greeting: - Hello my friend! - He is genuinely the friendliest person we know!

Retail Assistant

Elizabeth Duarte, originally from Mexico City, believes in the power of self-invention. She studied journalism and worked in media, marketing and advertising before moving to Ireland in 2017, where she has taken on various roles. Her true passion lies in creating community spaces through art, where people can express and understand their emotions. She organizes workshops for the migrant community. For Eli, teamwork and the strength of the collective are essential to building a better future.

She enjoys long walks with friends, the sound of the crackling snow on a winter day, and petting soft dogs at the park.

Teaching Kitchen Assistant

Anita, as she's affectionately known to us, is the duracell bunny of our team; whether is applying her legendary chopping skills in the kitchen, or showing us all how to dance 'la quebradita' at the staff Christmas party, Ana NEVER tires! Hailing from the beautiful estate of Tabasco in Mexico, she has a degree in Gastronomy from UTTAB in her native Villahermosa. Ana has a deep love for Mexican food and loves working with chocolate and pastries. She's a problem solver and her boundless energy keeps us all young and busy. The youngest member of our team, she's everyone's little sister at Picado.

Warehouse Operative

Liam grew up right here in Dublin and is currently working on getting a Business Degree from UCD. In his free time, between cycling to and from the warehouse and college, Liam frequently finds himself either playing or watching sports, in particular football and rugby. Although Liam is one of our newest members of staff, his days at Picado range back to his childhood days, visiting Lily and Alan at their market stall in Glasnevin way back when they first opened the business. While Liam's Spanish skills may be lacking a little, he enjoys teaching Juan Pablo, the Warehouse & Logistics Manager for Picado, Irish slang and sayings!

Retail Assistant

Abbie is Irish, has lived in Dublin all her life and is currently studying Social Work at Trinity College. She has a passion for helping others and supporting the community. Alongside her studies, she enjoys being part of the vibrant team here at Picado, with her lovely, friendly nature, she creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere for our customers at the Portobello Shop during weekends; she's always ready to greet them with a smile! Despite having zero Mexican connections, she LOOVES spicy food, specially Lily's fruity salsa macha, and has been avidly learning about Mexican food since she began working with us! Her bubbly personality makes an absolute joy to work with her. A super smart cookie and one of the youngest members of the team, everyone adores her.

Baker & Kitchen Assistant

Ximena studied Culinary Arts at Ambrosia Centro Culinario, where she also obtained a certificate in pastry & baking. She fell in love with baking working at Pannetto, a tiny bakery in Mexico City. She then went to work for a couple of vegan cafes in Mexico as she was keen to learn about vegan baking. She spent some time in Spain doing pastry internships at Aponiente and at Desde 1911, a three and one Michelin star restaurants respectively, before taking a job as a pastry chef at Lhardy in Madrid. Ximena [pronounced as hee-me-na] moved to Dublin in 2025 is committed to sustainability and lives an environmentally friendly lifestyle. She loves plants and dreams about having a huge garden one day. She spends her free time reading and eating ice-cream no matter the weather.