Marta Flinn
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” Michelle Obama
September 15th to October 15th we celebrate National LatinX Heritage month. It is a month to celebrate the histories, culture and contributions of whose with ancestors that come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America.
Why does Latinx Heritage Month start on September 15th? September 15th is the anniversary of the independence for many Latin American countries, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Chile and Mexico also celebrate their independence on September 18th and September 16th.
There are many inequalities that Latinas/LatinX encounter on an everyday basis. Latinas are underrepresented as business owners. However, the times are shifting. Ownership among Latina entrepreneurs has grown immensely over the past 15 years. Latinas are making significant strides in health, education, participation in political office positions, becoming business owners, fighting for rights and other areas. There is still a very long way to go to fully close a racial and ethnic disparities. We are headed in the right direction.
9 Latina Food Bloggers To Follow on Instagram
As LatinX Heritage Month comes to an end we wanted to share some up and coming Latina Food Bloggers that are a must follow.
You will find endless amounts of recipes, healthier choices, Spanish and English cooking tutorials, to vegan, non vegan, traditional recipes, innovative recipes, home inspo, crafts, DIYS, gardening, and just plain fun! We are honored to be able to share the table and share their stories.
These talented ladies took part in a LatinX Month Food Collaboration on Instagram to showcase foods that were passed down to them and share a piece of their heritage! To see all there incredible work check out the hashtag #LatinXMonthFoodCollab on Instagram.
*This is not at all to be seen as an exclusive list of all LatinX food bloggers. We would love to get to know more LatinX food bloggers. We look forward to reading some of your favorite LatinX bloggers!
“Believing in your talents, your abilities and your self-worth can empower you to walk down an even brighter path.”
Soledad O’Brien
1. Marta Flinn of Deliciously Marta
Food is an extension of who we are. Where we come from and what we are becoming. It is an absolutely beautiful thing. Those moments that we share with our loved ones, friends and by ourselves is one the biggest reasons why I started my food blog. Food is such an underrated love language. Some say that food incorporates all the five love languages and five senses. It is an extremely powerful way of creating connections with people and for some a way of expressing their love. It may sound crazy to some people, but cooking and baking make me feel understood.
I want to share my love for food with the world. One recipe at a time. By creating fun, approachable, delicious, easy to make and hearty dishes to enjoy around the table, on the go or in moments in time when we just need to unwind. If you think about it, our lives are centered around food. So why not make extremely good food and live our tastiest lives!
Paella is one of those dishes that smells like home to me. My dad would buy all the ingredients at the end of the week. After, there would be a kitchen full of laughter as food was being made. Relaxing in the back patio was a must after, enjoying our meal. It was a way of life, IS a way of life.
Growing up I didn’t know much of my heritage, just bits and pieces due to the fact that I was adopted. Many of the dishes I learned and inspired by are from my mom (Irish) and dad’s (Mexican/Spanish) heritage.
Spain is home to the Paella. Although the dish is one of the most popular dishes around the world!! Not one paella is the same. There are so many variations of paella, depending on where it is being made! Typically paella includes chicken, prawns, mussels or clams, bell peppers
I my goals for the next year is to build a community where everyone feels welcomed. I know the kitchen can be intimidating at times, but I want to show people that it’s okay to try new things. It’s okay if we don’t get it the first time. Because even I sometimes don’t get it the first time. I strive to be transparent with my community because I want to get people excited about cooking at home. There is so many delicious things that can be made…and EATEN! I want this to be a place where everyone can find something. Whether you are looking for something with meat, or gluten free options, to vegan recipes or just looking for something healthy. Everyone is welcomed. I hope to launch some cooking tutorials and cooking classes in the near future. A dream of mine has always been to write a cookbook or ebook, and I plan to start working on that in the next year!
You can find more of Marta’s easy to make recipes deliciouslymarta.com and incredible photos, mental health and body positive posts in Instagram @deliciouslymarta
2. Marisa of Marisa Home
I am a first generation Mexican American who also has an German/English family line that goes back to the Revolution; and my husband is second generation German/Polish American. While I seek out the traditional recipes I also love to learn about our more recent recipes. Overall our families just immigrated here fairly recently so any “newer” family dishes that came from immigrating (like the Tomatillo Chile de Arbol Salsa) I want to get to know too because they are definitely a part of who we are as well.
This is my way of connecting with family and culture and I look forward to sharing this with our family so they too can feel connected with their roots. I believe food is love; when you cook the same dishes as your ancestors you connect with family. So while you cannot always be next to them you can embody the process and the food to get a glimpse of who they are/were and realize you are connected.
My Abuelita’s Tomatillo Chile de Arbol Salsa, her Ground Beef and Potato Flautas, and her Pork Shoulder Chile Ancho Tamales. Slowly I am gathering and trying to recover family recipes to share with our daughter. Growing up we didn’t live close to our extended family and I have always felt like I haven’t had a strong bond with my cultural roots. In the hopes that I can help our daughter feel connected to her family I started blogging. This journey I am on will not happen overnight and I know there will be a lot of trial and error as family recipes tend to be led by the gut or feel of the ingredients not by measurements; I look forward to enjoying that process! I also look forward to documenting other things in our lives like crafts we do, sustainability practices we adopt, and life in general so one day our family can look at this and remember who they are, where they came from and share all the love with their families. This is my love letter to them.
Find more of Marisa’s recipes and beautiful home decor DIY’s at marisahome.com and follow her on Instagram @home.marisa
3. Norma Zuniga of iHeart Desserts CLT
I love blogging about desserts because I love sugar. I have never really had a hobby before and this eventually became mine and I love doing it so much! Deserts make everyone happy with how they taste and look. I also love taking pictures of them because they are all unique in their own way and so colorful. I mainly blog about desserts in Charlotte, NC.
I just want people to be able to go to my page when they are craving something sweet and find a place right away. My main focus right now is trying to support local places as much as I can especially people who are creating their own business. I do want to make/do something with desserts as my career one day, but that’s way down the road. Right now I want to explore desserts as much as I can.
There are a variety of bunuelos in most Latin American countries. I was born in Mexico, so I decided to make Mexican bunuelos. I remember being in mexico when I was little eating some bunuelos with some hot chocolate. When I came to the United States my mom would still make them for me in the fall/winter because I loved them so much! They’re typically made during Christmas and New Years Day. They’re made from dough, fried, and then cinnamon sugar on top.
Find more of Norma’s foodie adventures, the best dessert spots and recipes on Instagram @iHeartDessertsCLT
4. Melissa Barreiros Langford of Made by Melbelle
The purpose of Made by Melbelle is to make Brazilian food more accessible and easy for everyone. Since immigrating to the US, food has always been a way for me to preserve my heritage. The food I cook has always been a large part of my identity. Food not only allows me to maintain my heritage but gives me the opportunity to share it with other people. Made by Melbelle is a place to inspire individuals to sprinkle Brazilian spice into their everyday life.
I would love to be a full-time food blogger and eventually create a Brazilian cookbook. Over the next year, I want to become a better baker and try new things (hello sourdough). I also want to make my corner of the gram more inviting and a place where people can come and feel accepted.
Pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). It is an iconic snack in Brazil. These little cheese buns are gluten free since they’re made of polvilho (aka cassava flour). You can find pão de queijo all over Brazil and we generally have them with coffee or for breakfast.
Find more of Melissa’s delicious Brazilian inspired recipes at madebymelbelle.com and follow her on Instagram @madebymelbelle
5. Carolina Hock of La Espatula Postres
My mission by having a blog of Latin American dessert recipes is to be able to connect our community, and share in a single space those sweet recipes that remind us of our families, and at the same time leave them reflected in a blog so that they are not forgotten and future generations can continue to prepare them
I never thought I was going to be involved in this social media movement. This time since I opened La Espatula its been fascinating, I’ve learned so much about how all this social media works and I’ve met amazing bloggers, foodies and food photographers
My goal is to keep growing as a Blogger and Youtuber, get to travel to try desserts in other countries and to keep learning about recipes from other countries that are not the most popular.
Quinoa Estila “Arroz con Leche Quinoa is a grain originated in Inca territory, and today it is grown mainly in the Andes mountain range, with the main producing countries being Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Its seed is the only food of plant origin that provides all the essential amino acids, making it a highly nutritious food. Recently, it became very trendy in Europe and the United States, thanks to its nutritional quality, its taste and texture, which allow multiple preparations. Quinoa Pudding is a very popular dessert in Peru and Bolivia, and its preparation is the same as rice pudding. Its texture is creamy with a delicious cinnamon flavor and some citrus notes of orange.
Find English and Spanish cooking and baking tutorials on Carolina’s YouTube Channel, follow her on Instagram for beautiful photos and inspo @laespátulapostres. Carolina is currently working on launching her food website this coming week, visit laespatulapostres.com for recipes!
6. Fratyzel of @Fratyzel
When I was growing up in the Bronx, on Sundays it was my aunt Lidia’s turn to make Sunday Dinner. She always tried to do something a little extra that day and Arepitas de Yuca was one of them. It was my job to grate the yucca and I did not complain because the excitement of these yumminess was reason enough. As soon as she started frying, the issue was we all wanted to “probar” (taste) but only one of us was rewarded, we of course tried bribes but no way Jose we had to wait for dinner time. These were simple times that stay in our hearts forever. My mission is to keep learning and sharing with my family and this community my love for food. Nothing says love like food.
Arepitas de Yuca, Yuca in today’s cooking it’s still a major staple in the Dominican diet and in many countries of Latin America. Chefs around the world have been bringing it to their cultures and elevating it in fine dining.
Yuca or Cassava as it was called by the Tainos Indigenous people of the Caribbean in a simple recipe. Cassava was a staple in their diet. This Caribbean group of indigenous is often forgotten in our culture, this is my small ode to them.
POLLO GUISADO is a chicken dish that is part of the everyday Dominican table, when accompany with white rice and
beans is called “La Bandera” The Flag (same for any meat cooked this way). There is not one day that this dish is not
at someone’s table for lunch (lunch is the heaviest meal normally in DR) which means millions are eating it every
day. Once you learn how to do this, it will become a favourite guaranteed.
You can find more of Fratyzel’s creations, recipes and photos on Instagram @fratyzel
7. Andrea Soto of Vexicana
After I went vegan I felt compelled to share the vegan message in some way. As I was learning to cook vegan I realized that vegan food was not boring and did not mean giving up my Mexican culture. So I decided to start blogging to showcase beautiful and delicious vegan meals! Moving forward, I’m hoping to create even more content and recipes to hopefully inspire others to try vegan meals.
Cheesy Chilaquiles this dish, I was inspired by one of my mother’s recipes for chilaquiles from Zacatecas, Mexico. This is something I grew up eating and especially looked forward to on Saturday mornings when we would have our traditional Mexican breakfasts!
You can find more delicious vegan recipes by Andrea at www.vexicana.co and on Instagram @vexicana
8. Amanda of A Treat Life
Growing up, almost every special occasion meant two things. Our family would get together and there would be carne asada. The most deliciously marinated, melt-in-your mouth, grilled steak sliced up into candy-like bits that you could pick up and eat just like that (I dare you to try not to,) fill in a burrito or turn into perfect perfect tacos. This is carne asada. The one and only meat perhaps that will forever hold a special place in my heart and that sets the bar for pretty much any other red meat I eat.
I started blogging years ago to share not only what I was making at home and learning while working in the professional kitchen, but also to have a little space of my own to keep track of all my favorite recipes. As somewhat of an introvert, it became a fun challenge to put myself out there into the giant, worldwide blogosphere.
But big life events happened and I stopped writing. After the loss of my dad, I lost my voice and a lot of my inspiration and motivation to create and share recipes.
Marriage and two kids later, and a move to Istanbul fueled the fire again to get back to something I really enjoyed and start writing again about my food, travel, and various mom-ing adventures as well as the path I found myself in abroad doing specialty dessert orders.
My recipe for Almost Lupita’s Carne Asada warms my heart in that special spot reserved for beloved childhood comfort foods. Foods that have bound us together as a family for years. Foods that make me think of my dad who I miss so dearly, while fondly remembering him going back to the kitchen for one more morsel of that perfect meat. And often just simply tearing off a small piece of tortilla to wrap around a smear of avocado and a strip of meat.
For me, this was the perfect recipe to share in honor of this Latinx Collaboration. It’s so much a part of my childhood, celebrates my proud Mexican-American heritage and pays tribute to a wonderful small local meat market and shop, Carniceria La Lupita, where they sell absolutely perfect marinated carne asada, ready to grill, pollo asada (chicken,) as well as a bunch of other Mexican specialties.
Now that we’re back in Los Angeles, after the masked 17+ hour trek with two little ones from Turkey, I think it’s safe to say we’re staying put for a bit. We’re transitioning back to life in the states and this new pandemic life we’re all experiencing. Though, I’m sure a few road trips exploring some of beautiful California will be in order. And I’m sure eventually we’ll find ourselves abroad visiting family and loved ones again. This next year I hope to grow in my creativity in the kitchen and expand my clientele in Los Angeles while also enjoying this extra time at home with my family. I think it’s the best thing we can all gain perhaps from this unprecedented time.
You can find more of Amanda’s beautiful photos, delicious recipes, travel, and various mom-ing adventures at atreatlife.com and on Instagram @a_treat_life
9. Lucy Gamboa of L.G Nutrition
I love to share food recipes. I like to change it up a bit and make nutrient dense meals by including all essential nutrients. I love to spread knowledge of foods and nutrition but most importantly, I like to spread awareness of eating in moderation through delicious food. There’s a place for all foods, especially yummy sweets!
I want to create and post more often. My goal for this year is to find the hobbies I love and enjoy them as much as possible. I want to start blogging as well. Hopefully it’s something I pick up here soon!
Lemon Carlota reminds me of many traditional dishes my family makes. Two popular ingredients are condensed milk and evaporated milk. We use this to make arroz con leches(rice pudding), cheesecake, flan, fruita de crema(fruit parfait), etc. I loved that I could use something homey but with a little twist of lemon.
For more healthy recipes and health tips visit Lucy’s Instagram @l.g.nutrition
*This is by no means an exhaustive list. We hope you’ll share your favorite LatinX food bloggers in the comment section below.
