Daisy Maria Martinez was born to mainland Puerto Rican parents in Brooklyn, New York, where she lived at her grandmother's house until she was almost five years old. Her extended family includes relatives from Central America, Spain, and other parts of the Spanish-speaking world. She has modeled and acted in commercials and in numerous films including Carlito's Way and Scent of a Woman. She attended Long Island University and the French Culinary Institute before establishing her catering business, The Passionate Palate. Daisy lives with her husband and children in Brooklyn.