Food, Friendship & Latin Flavours Made in B.C.
British Columbia · Latin food makers · A Buy BC collaboration
One of the things I love most about food is its ability to carry culture with it.
A salsa, a tamal, an alfajor or a cup of coffee can connect us to a place, a family tradition or a memory — even thousands of kilometres from where that tradition began.
In early 2025, as a Buy BC Brand Ambassador, I photographed and wrote about Latin-inspired foods being made and sold here in British Columbia.
The story was inspired by El Día del Amor y la Amistad — the Day of Love and Friendship — but what stayed with me was something broader: the people carrying Latin food traditions forward and building businesses here in B.C.
Latin flavours, made close to home
The shoot brought together tamales, salsa, tortilla chips, burritos, hot sauce, alfajores and coffee from makers across B.C.
Some stayed close to traditional Latin American flavours. Others reflected what happens when those traditions take root somewhere new.
That intersection is what interests me most: food travels with people, adapting to new ingredients, communities and markets while still carrying a connection to where it came from.
And B.C. has an exciting group of makers doing exactly that.
Tamales + agua de Jamaica
One of my favourite pairings from the project was Antojos y Sabores tamales with agua de jamaica.
Their sweet pineapple tamales, traditionally wrapped in corn husks, had a lovely balance of soft golden masa and bright fruit.
Alongside them, agua de jamaica — made with dried hibiscus flowers from Mi Tierra Latina — added tartness, deep ruby colour and a refreshing contrast.
Tamales have always felt like food made for gathering: something prepared, unwrapped and enjoyed together.
Chips, salsa + a table full of choices
Few things bring people around a table faster than chips and salsa.
I paired Fresh is Best tortilla chips from Kamloops with Solecito Foods Salsa Verde, Maiiz Salsa Roja, and a few extras from Mi Tierra Latina.
No ceremony required. Put everything in the middle, open a few jars and start passing things around.
Conversation usually follows.
Burritos + plenty of hot sauce
I paired a bean and cheese burrito from Solecito Foods with The Grand Mexican Factory Chimichurri Traditional Hot Sauce.
Warm burrito. Plenty of hot sauce.
Done.
Sometimes the best pairings don’t need much explanation.
Coffee + alfajores
And then there was dessert.
La Lula Pastries alfajores paired with Peru coffee from Level Ground Coffee Roasters made a pretty perfect finish.
Alfajores vary across Latin America, but the combination of delicate cookies and dulce de leche is hard to resist.
Add coffee and you have exactly the kind of thing that makes you want to stay at the table a little longer.
More than what’s on the plate
What stayed with me after photographing this collection wasn’t simply the number of Latin products being made in B.C. It was what they represent.
People bring recipes, ingredients and traditions with them. Those traditions meet new places, new communities and new ideas — and something new grows from that.
Businesses grow. Friendships form. The food landscape changes.
That exchange between Latin America and Canada is a big part of what I want to keep exploring through Sabor: the makers carrying traditions forward, the people introducing us to new flavours, and the stories unfolding around the table.
Food is one of the ways we find each other.
Originally photographed and written for Buy BC as part of my work as a Buy BC Brand Ambassador.
