Lizano sauce has been an essential ingredient in Costa Rican kitchens for nearly a century. But where did it come from? I recently had the opportunity to sit down with my grandfather, who was friends with the sauce's creators, to learn more about its fascinating history.
When I tell foreigners that I'm going to take them to the most Colombian restaurant in the country, they're usually surprised to discover it's Crepes & Waffles.
When the restaurant opened in 1980, no one thought it'd become the country's most popular food chain; or that we'd take as much pride in it as we do in our national soccer team.
"Finca Santa María has helped everyone see that women can have multiple roles in our community; we can be successful land owners, entrepreneurs, workers, mothers – that is clear in what we do here," Mildred Muñoz says with pride.
Mama Necha’s recipe was simple. First, she dehydrated chile peppers (a combination of chiles de árbol, guajillo and pasilla). Then she smashed them and added sea salt and lime, turning it into a powder.
When asked how she started in the coffee industry, Fátima Ismael Espinoza points to literacy.
As a teenager, she got the opportunity to teach basic literacy skills to communities in rural areas and soon realized that many people in those regions needed help. So she told her parents she wanted to go to an agricultural school.
From viral TikTok videos and designer cocktails to desserts and even Beyonce's handbag, Cholula Hot Sauce can be found everywhere. Despite only breaking into the US market 30 years ago, it's the third-most popular hot sauce in the country where it sells more bottles than anywhere else in the world.
Olga Cuéllar Gomez dreams of a better world – one in which agricultural communities are treated more fairly and the hard work of producers is truly recognized by all those along the supply chain.
Today, there are more than 400 Pollo Campero stores worldwide, with franchises in North America, Africa, and Europe. That makes Pollo Campero the world’s largest Latin American chicken chain. And it's growing: the company recently announced a $190 million investment and plans to expand to 250 restaurants in the US alone over the next four years.
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