October marks a change in colours and autumn's cool embrace. It also is the month to celebrate the rich tapestry of Latin American cultures in Canada. In the spirit of celebrating Latin American Heritage Month in Canada, we wanted to highlight 10 small food businesses, each one owned by passionate Latinx entrepreneurs operating behind the walls of Cohoâs commissary kitchens.
Chicana Bakery
Chicana Bakery is a brand new business owned by Caro, a Mexican baker based in Vancouver with a passion for traditional Mexican baked goods and cakes. They specialize in Pan dulce, also known as Mexican sweet breads.
Gutoâs Brazilian Sausage
Gutoâs Brazilian Sausage makes sausages with a traditional German family recipe and a delicious Brazilian touch. Their name is a tribute to Grandpa Guto, owner of the original recipe which owners are giving a Latin twist to!
Sabor a Yucatan
Sabor a Yucatan specializes in Cochinita Pibil, a traditional slow-roasted pork dish from the YucatĂĄn peninsula. Their family business is run by Laura, her husband Edgardo, and her daughter Paulina. Using her grandmotherâs Mayan recipe, Laura has adapted her recipes with alternative methods to traditional underground cooking using the convection ovens at Coho East Georgia. Sheâs also found alternative ingredients, such as replacing sour oranges found only in Mexico, with a mixture of lime, lemons, and oranges to pickle the onions that garnish her Cochinita Pibil.
Divo Brazilian Treats
Divo Brazilian Treats makes EmpadĂŁo, a traditional pie filled with meat, chicken or seafood. They also make sweet treats like cheese tarts and corn cake.
Colombian Antojitos
Founded by Viviana Rojas, Colombian Antojitos is bringing the vibrant street food culture of Colombia to Vancouver. Viviana works out of Coho East Georgia with her mother, making their familyâs recipes of Beef Empanadas (corn dough pockets filled with beef, potatoes, rice and vegetables), Chicken Papa Rellenas (crispy potato balls filled with chicken, rice, onions and spices), and Aborrajados (fried plantains stuffed with cheese and guava jam).
The Alfajor Co
The Alfajor Co. makes alfajor cookies (a classic Argentinian cookie filled with dulce de leche and rolled in coconut) and confections. Pamela Ordonez Tellez started The Alfajor Co. two years ago to showcase the Alfajor's history. Their traditional Latin American wafer cookies with multiple come with a variety of highly desirable fillings like Dulce de Leche, Nutella or Creamy Chocolate. Their recipes have been carefully crafted with love, passed down and perfected from generation to generation to generation again.
Suspiro Lovers Bakery
Suspiro Lovers makes handcrafted gourmet meringues with no artificial flavours, customized for every order. Made with a careful blend of ingredients, their meringues are the perfect sweetness to delight your taste buds.
Danielaâs goal when starting Suspiro Lovers was to offer Canadians something truly different. After sampling a couple of local meringues, she became confident that her gourmet meringues offered a fresh and unique taste and texture, enriched with a touch of Brazil. Inspired by her great-grandmotherâs meringues, seeing her customers find a link to their childhood memories through her meringues, is what keeps her motivated.
Antojos y Sabores
Antojos y Sabores is a female owned and operated business dedicated to the artisanal making of Mexican tamales. Nadia Toledo created a line up of 6 different flavours, with vegan and vegetarian alternatives in order for their tamales to be enjoyed by everyone. Within their first 3 years of business, they have expanded their line of tamales to be sold at local retailers across the Greater Vancouver Area, including their most recent expansion onto the shelves of IGA and Fresh Street Market.
Mis Cazuelas
Angeles Canedo started Mis Cazuelas Mexican Food in 2020 to recreate dishes from her childhood memories growing up in northern Mexico. Their Mexican comfort food is made with love to evoke feelings, family memories, and flavours from home. Currently, Angeles cooks her food at Cohoâs East Vancouver kitchen and wakes up at 4am every weekend to prepare for the Vancouver Farmerâs Markets. She also has an online store where her Green Pozole, Tascan Soup, Pastel Azteca and Vegan Chorizo are available to order.
Los Elotes
Los Elotes is a food truck that sells Mexican style street corn. From elotes (corn on the cob) to esquites (corn in a cup) and Loco Mix (bag of chips and corn kernels), you can find them popping up at events around Vancouver. Book them for your catering event today!
As the leaves continue to fall and the season changes, we hope you can find comfort and warmth in a bowl of Mis Cazuelasâ red pozole, Colombian Antojitos fresh empanadas, or the light crumble of The Alfajor Coâs Dulce de Leche alfajor.
To see a full list of all of the local businesses that Coho is home to, visit our members page. If you are interested in joining our growing community of entrepreneurs head to our locations page to find a kitchen near you.