The holidays look a little different because of the pandemic this year, but there’s no reason to forgo traditional flavors or family recipes — especially if you’re used to home-cooked food highlighting the best of Latin America and the Caribbean. 🌶
Whether you’re starting to plan out recipes for your own socially distanced holiday celebration or you want to support inclusive brands by scooping up delicious gifts for friends, here are ten Latinx-owned small businesses offering homemade sauces, seasonings, desserts, and more.
1.
Pisqueya, a brand of handcrafted hot sauces made with island ingredients from the Dominican Republic.
Maritza Abreu got her sense of flavors from watching her parents run a Dominican restaurant in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights for 22 years. After the restaurant was lost in a fire, Abreu left her corporate job and focused her time on building the Pisqueya brand using distinctly Dominican traditions.
Get a bottle of Pisqueya hot sauce — available in smoky hot, medium buzz, or spicy sweet varieties — for $6.99, or a gift set of all three bottles for $15.
2.
The Freakin Rican, a New York restaurant that ships its fan-favorite seasonings and pasteles across the country.
This restaurant in Astoria, Queens has become somewhat of a local institution — thanks to its Puerto Rican dishes like slow-roasted pernil, mofongo, and chicken chicharron. But for anyone who wants to try these specialities in their own kitchen, executive chef Derick Lopez has got you covered with an online shop that sells homemade sofrito, sazon, and adobo seasonings. And if you need dessert options ahead of the holidays, Lopez also serves up tasty pasteles by the dozen.
This restaurant in Astoria, Queens has become somewhat of a local institution — thanks to its Puerto Rican dishes like slow-roasted pernil, mofongo, and chicken chicharron. But for anyone who wants to try these specialities in their own kitchen, executive chef Derick Lopez has got you covered with an online shop that sells homemade sofrito, sazon, and adobo seasonings. And if you need dessert options ahead of the holidays, Lopez also serves up tasty pasteles by the dozen.
A Dozen Cousins is steeped in the experiences founder Ibraheem Basir had growing up in a huge family that loved cooking — even the brand’s name is a reference to Basir’s nine siblings and his daughter’s 11 cousins. Basir launched his vegan and GMO-free bean brand with the goal of offering fresh food options to Black and Latinx families while also showcasing the best of Cuban, Mexican, and Trini flavors.
Get a variety pack of six 10-ounce packs from Amazon for $24.99.
4.
Todo Verde, a plant-based catering and food company that also offers online cooking classes, curated ingredient bundles, and a beautifully vibrant cookbook.
Todo Verde has always had a startlingly simple proposal: Remind people of the organic and plant-based roots of Latinx culinary traditions. Chef and cookbook author Jocelyn Ramirez has made access to healthy food her mission — and her brand offers delicious vegan alternatives for lovers of Mexican and South American cuisine. Find everything in its online store.
Get a Todo Verde holiday bundle — which includes ingredients to make jackfruit al pastor tacos, a signed ‘La Vida Verde’ cookbook, and a denim tote — for $85. You can also find the cookbook on Amazon for $17.07.
Todo Verde has always had a startlingly simple proposal: Remind people of the organic and plant-based roots of Latinx culinary traditions. Chef and cookbook author Jocelyn Ramirez has made access to healthy food her mission — and her brand offers delicious vegan alternatives for lovers of Mexican and South American cuisine. Find everything in its online store.
Get a Todo Verde holiday bundle — which includes ingredients to make jackfruit al pastor tacos, a signed ‘La Vida Verde’ cookbook, and a denim tote — for $85. You can also find the cookbook on Amazon for $17.07.
5.
The Cielito Store, a coffee shop that sells one-of-a-kind roasts using Salvadoran, Nicaraguan, and Guatemalan beans.
Daniel Olivares might be best known for his coffee shop El Cielito Café in Los Angeles’ South Gate area. But since customers couldn’t get enough of his coffee — which is delivered to an in-house roaster from farms across Central America — he started selling a few favorites through his online store, which ships nationwide.
Get a 12-ounce bag of roasted coffee beans from The Cielito Store starting at $19.
6.
Flor De Maria, a New York shop that blends high-quality Latin American chocolates and CBD oils for laidback sweets that are also beautifully packaged.
William Zitser had tried tons of CBD-infused chocolates and constantly found them to be a bit sugarless and insipid. So, he decided to make his own. He sources single-origin, fair-trade chocolate from his home country Venezuela, as well as other parts of Latin America, and adds New York-made CBD oils for chocolate concoctions that have 120mg of CBD per bar (or 10mg per serving.)
Sunyatta Amen, a fifth-generation herbalist and naturopathic physician, draws from her Jamaican, Cuban, and Native American roots when she’s putting together the teas and tonics at her shops in D.C.’s Shaw and Brookland neighborhoods, and at Calabash’s online store.
Get a Calabash Tea and Tonic gift box that includes CBD tinture, hand soap, and lip scrub, lavender latte blend, hemp hearts, and roasted hemp seeds for $44.95.
Sunyatta Amen, a fifth-generation herbalist and naturopathic physician, draws from her Jamaican, Cuban, and Native American roots when she’s putting together the teas and tonics at her shops in D.C.’s Shaw and Brookland neighborhoods, and at Calabash’s online store.
Get a Calabash Tea and Tonic gift box that includes CBD tinture, hand soap, and lip scrub, lavender latte blend, hemp hearts, and roasted hemp seeds for $44.95.
8.
AliciasDelicias, a San Diego-based bakery that makes hand-painted sugar cookies that are almost too beautiful to eat.
Alicia Becerra is an award-winning cake designer who took the top prize on an episode of the Food Network’s Cake Wars. She’s since applied her artistic talents to her sugar cookie brand, which includes stunning bakes inspired by Frida Kahlo and indigenous Mexican crafts. (And if they’re sold out online, don’t fret: Becerra updates her inventory often through virtual pop-up shops.)
Oscar Ochoa’s El Machete is known for crafting salsas and moles that pack a serious punch. If you’re looking to plan a full meal around his fiery sauces (a personal favorite is the habanero salsa ranchera for $5), Ochoa also sells organic tortillas, classic black beans, and tomato rice in small batches. The downside? They’re only available for pick up at various spots in LA.
Loisa Comida Real was started by a group of friends (who span Dominican, Peruvian, French, and American backgrounds) tired of Latinx flavors ruined by artificial ingredients and additives. So they decided to strike out and make their own versions of their favorite seasonings, spices, and rices — all of which you can find in their online shop.
Get a Loisa Comida Real gift set that includes a 4-pack of organic sazón and adobo seasonings, plus two eco-friendly dishcloths for $45.97.
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