5 Influencers Conquering Social Media With Their Latin Recipes

Driven by their passion for Latin food, these bloggers are not just attracting followers — they are keeping their culinary traditions alive

María Ivette Vega Calles,

AARP

En español

Published October 09, 2023

Alejandra Graf (top left), Ana Regalado, Omi Hopper, Kimberly Stephanie Chacón, and Vanessa Mota are all latina food bloggers

Alejandra Graf (top left), Ana Regalado, Omi Hopper, Kimberly Stephanie Chacón, and Vanessa Mota are sharing their recipes and culture with their followers on social media.

From left: Courtesy Alejandra Graf, Courtesy Ana Regaldo, Courtesy Omi Hopper, Courtesy Kimberly Stephanie Chacón and Courtesy Vanessa Mota

As they work, the cameras on their tripods are doing triple duty: Not only are these Latinas preserving their ancestors’ culinary traditions, albeit with their own personal touch, but their recipes are garnering them a growing following on social media and connecting thousands of Latinos in the United States to the flavors they miss from their homeland. In addition, they’re helping their followers replicate these recipes, teaching them how to cook the basic staples, such as white rice, to the most complex dishes.

Meet five successful Latin cuisine influencer

Ana Regalado: Chilaquiles Blancos

Alejandra Graf: Black Bean and Rice Vegan Burger

Omi Hopper: Garlic Shrimp

Vanessa Mota: Jalao

Kimberly Stephanie Chacón: Egg-Stuffed Arepas

Ana Regalado: Chilaquiles Blancos

AARP

Salty Cocina

TikTok followers: 2.5 million

When her mother cooked for the whole family in Cruces, Zacatecas, in Mexico, Ana Regalado was always at her side, watching. A resident of Arizona for the past 40 years, Regalado has turned into an international ambassador for the food of her native Mexico, with more than 2.5 million followers on TikTok. This experience has shown her that foods around the world have more similarities than differences. Her followers in India, Australia and China enjoy seeing how she employs ingredients that are also used in their native cuisines.

For years, Regalado was too busy working and raising her seven children to spend much time in the kitchen. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, after her children taught her how to use TikTok, she realized that many people wanted to learn to cook. Sure enough, her first video, in which she made salsa in a molcajete — the Mexican version of a mortar and pestle — went viral.

“I said, ‘OK then, I’m going to start making food to help those who are now looking for recipes to make at home,’ since restaurants were closed,” Regalado recalls. “I also thought, in case something happened to me, considering that so many people were dying of that disease, at least this way my children would have their favorite recipes there, so they could make them even if I’m not around, and they could see me.”

Regalado published her first cookbook, Nana’s Traditional Recipes by Salty Cocina, in 2021.

Among her goals is to write another book about her life story, to recount her family’s immigrant experiences in the United States.

Follow her on TikTok: @saltycocina

Chilaquiles Blancos

Courtesy of Ana Regalado, @SaltyCocina

You can prepare mouthwatering chilaquiles by using crispy corn tortillas in either red or green sauce. However, there’s another sauce variation that’s commonly used to create this delicious dish — chilaquiles blancos. Made with yellow peppers, this sauce offers a delightful and creamy explosion of flavor.

Serves 4

Ingredients

6-8 yellow peppers (Yellow peppers, also known as “chiles güeros,” come in varying sizes from small to large. Although they are typically mild in terms of spiciness, they can occasionally have a surprising kick.)
2-3 serrano peppers
¼ white onion
3 large garlic cloves
½ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Knorr chicken bouillon powder
1 cup water, chicken broth or vegetable broth
4 cups totopos (homemade fried tortilla chips)
1 cup Mexican sour cream, crema agria or heavy cream
Shredded chicken (You can boil one chicken breast with onion, garlic and salt or opt for a faster option using shredded rotisserie chicken.)
2 eggs (The number can vary depending on how many people you’re cooking for.)

Topping suggestions: red or white onion, cilantro, avocado, queso fresco or cotija cheese

Instructions

1. To prepare the peppers, first wash them thoroughly. Then, trim the stems, cut the peppers in half, and remove the seeds and veins. In the case of the serrano peppers, cut them in half and remove the stems. You may remove the seeds for a milder flavor or leave them for more spice.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then add peppers, onion, garlic and chicken bouillon powder. Fry them until they are well withered. Let them cool before blending.

3. Transfer all the ingredients to the blender, including the oil from the pan. Next, add one cup of water or chicken broth, and blend the mixture until it becomes smooth.

4. Transfer the resulting sauce to the pan, mix in the sour cream, and bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add in the totopos and mix until well coated with the sauce. Serve right away with shredded chicken or fried eggs, and garnish with your favorite toppings.

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Alejandra Graf: Black Bean and Rice Vegan Burger

Black Bean and Rice Vegan Burger on a plate with potato chips

Courtesy ALEJANDRA GRAF

Ale Cooks

Instagram followers: 56,500

“What do people thank you for?” — a phrase from Danielle LaPorte’s book The Fire Starter Sessions — took on special meaning for Alejandra Graf 10 years ago.

At that time, the art expert from Monterrey, Mexico, had recently moved to Houston with her husband and three children, and she was spending a lot of time on the phone giving advice to other moms on how to make dietary adjustments for their children’s allergies.

Graf had been through a similar experience. Her son was born with a dairy allergy, and as a result, she had to make extensive changes to the way she cooked, as well as learn how to read food labels.

“That was 22 years ago, so no one knew anything. Being a vegan and not drinking milk wasn’t well accepted,” Graf says. “So 10 years later, my friends were asking me, ‘How did you do it? What changes did you make? How did you cook?’ Questions like that. Until one day my husband told me, ‘Enough already. You can’t be spending so much time on the phone. Post your recipes on a blog or something so they can reach more people.’ ”

That is how “Piloncillo y Vainilla” was born, a Spanish-language blog and social media page, followed by her English-language page “Ale Cooks,” where Graf shares vegan recipes, a practice she embraced at an early age.

Follow her on Instagram: @Piloncilloyvainilla

Black Bean and Rice Vegan Burger

Courtesy of Alejandra Graf, @Piloncilloyvainilla

Enjoy these vegan burgers — they’re meat-free but easy to make and packed with flavor!

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cups cooked black beans without the liquid
2 cups cooked rice (I prefer brown rice)
½ cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon chipotle (optional)
Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking tray with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

2. Put the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well mixed. They should not be completely smooth, but they should be broken down.

3. Form the hamburgers and put them on a tray.

4. Bake them for 15-20 minutes or until firm. Be careful not to dry them out too much.

5. Serve them on a hamburger bun with avocado, leafy greens and tomato slices.

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Omi Hopper: Garlic Shrimp

Courtesy OMI HOPPER

Cooking Con Omi

TikTok followers: 628,000

Omi Hopper is a professional makeup artist, but she was always in charge of cooking whenever her family or friends got together. Since age 10, she would watch her grandmother, mother and four aunts cook, reveling in the way people reacted to the dishes her family prepared; plus, cooking is a way to say “I love you” in her native Puerto Rico.

When the pandemic hit and she had to close her makeup studio, she decided to record videos of herself making Puerto Rican recipes, which she uploaded to her Instagram account @cooking_con_omi. At the time, she was having to cook three meals a day for her husband, Kradin, and their four children.

She never imagined that within a month she’d have 10,000 followers. Her makeup studio’s page, which had been around for longer, only had 3,000.

“I couldn’t believe it, but what sustained me and gave me a sense of purpose to keep going was the stories that my followers would share with me,” Hopper says, “about how much I helped them and how they feel when they see my videos. Maybe someone in their family had passed away and never taught them that recipe. These stories were what motivated me to continue making videos.”

Her followers’ favorite recipes are those that bring up memories. Her goal is to continue finding ways to contribute to and represent her community. She recently did so on national television. Hopper competed on the latest season of Fox’s Next Level Chef, hosted by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who liked several of Omi’s recipes.

Follow her on TikTok: @cookingconomi

Garlic Shrimp

Courtesy of Omi Hopper @cookingconomi

As an entrée or appetizer, this recipe comes packed with memories and flavors of the Caribbean. Serve it on clay or ceramic trays to highlight the reddish hues of the shrimp and the green cilantro, for a dish that is as eye-catching as it is delicious.

Serves 2

Ingredients

12 shrimp, cleaned
Cooking oil, as preferred, to fry the shrimp
1 garlic clove, sliced thinly
½ white onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon sofrito
3 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon lime juice
Cilantro to taste
Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste. You’re the boss of your kitchen!

2. In a pan on high heat, brown the shrimp on both sides in a small amount of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. After cooking each side for 3 minutes, remove the shrimp.

3. In the same pan, sauté the sliced garlic until golden brown. Be careful not to burn them!

4. Add the onion, crushed garlic and sofrito, and sauté until all those aromas come alive.

5. Return the shrimp to the pan and add the remaining butter, the lime juice and the cilantro. Cook an additional 2 minutes, and it’s good to go.

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Vanessa Mota: Jalao

courtesy VANESSA MOTA

My Dominican Kitchen

TikTok followers: 18,800

When she became pregnant for the first time in 2006, Vanessa Mota began to long for the flavors of her native Dominican Republic. At the time, she had been living in the United States for more than 10 years, and she didn’t know how to make the dishes she’d enjoyed as a child.

Learning them turned out to be difficult because her mom worked all day and her aunts and grandmother were far away. So she had to learn over the phone.

Combining her family’s advice with some trial and error, Mota developed her own techniques. When she reflected on how hard it was for her to learn, she thought other people might be in the same situation and decided to share her recipes in a blog.

“I kept trying new things and learning new recipes. I would write them up, photograph them and post them on my blog. People connected to the blog and felt like the recipes were something they could cook,” Mota says.

Her work in influencer marketing led her to social media. But the TikToker thought it was very important for Dominicans to have a cookbook of their country’s most popular dishes. The result? Her first cookbook, The Dominican Kitchen, was released in May.

Follow her on TikTok: @mydominicankitchen

Jalao

Courtesy of Vanessa Mota, @mydominicankitchen

Jalao is a sugar and coconut candy. Its name literally means “pulled” because of its sticky texture when pulled apart. Its fresh sweet taste and chewy texture make this amazing candy a childhood favorite.

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients

1 cup (220 grams) packed light brown sugar
3 cups (300 grams) fresh shredded coconut (see note)
1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

You’ll need:

Small cookie scoop (optional)
16 mini cupcake liners

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sugar is completely melted and golden brown, stirring it continuously to keep it from burning.

2. Add the coconut and ginger, stirring well to make sure the coconut is completely coated with the caramel.

3. Stir in the vanilla extract and the salt and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the coconut’s juices have evaporated. The goal is to get a soft, sticky consistency.

4. Remove from heat and transfer the coconut mixture to a bowl.

5. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Using a cookie scoop, place about 1 tablespoon of the coconut mixture in a mini cupcake liner. (You can also shape the mixture into small balls by rolling it with your hands; this is how it is traditionally done.)

7. Repeat this step with the remaining coconut mixture and cupcake liners.

8. Serve at room temperature.

Note: Use fresh coconut for this recipe. Prepackaged sweetened shredded coconut is not ideal to use because the recipe benefits from the moisture of the fresh coconut for a smooth texture.

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Kimberly Stephanie Chacón: Egg-Stuffed Arepas

Courtesy KIMBERLY STEPHANIE CHACÓN

@kimberlystephanieee

TikTok followers: 51,900

Born and raised in Miami, Kimberly Stephanie Chacón always had access to a wide range of good Latin American food.

After graduating from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where she majored in baking and pastry arts, Chacón moved to Boston. She initially planned to be a pastry chef, but instead decided to combine her two passions: cooking and film.

Two years ago, she began producing TikTok videos of herself making pastries and depicting other aspects of her life. She had a hard time finding good Latin food in Boston, so she decided to make different types of recipes.

“I told my boyfriend, ‘Honestly, the [Latin] food here is not good; I miss the food. Why don’t I start making some?’ ” Chacón recalls. “I went to culinary school, I could do pastries, cupcakes … I’d rather make the food. I know that it’s healthy; I know the ingredients. And that’s how I started. So now every day, I make different dishes.”

Chacón — daughter of a Costa Rican father and Salvadoran mother — began making dishes from Colombia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico, but she prefers to focus on the cuisine of Central American countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica because she feels there are fewer content creators who do so.

Indeed, her videos of breakfast dishes from these countries are her followers’ favorites.

Follow her on TikTok: @kimberlystephanieee

Egg-Stuffed Arepas

Courtesy of Kimberly Stephanie Chacón, @kimberlystephanieee

The combination of flavors from the cheeses in the dough with the egg filling make this recipe a tasty temptation for breakfast, lunch or a snack.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1¼ cup warm water
1 cup P.A.N. white cornmeal
¼ cup feta cheese
¼ cup mozzarella cheese
½ teaspoon salt
6 eggs
Oil for frying

Instructions

1. Combine the water, cornmeal and salt. Add the feta and mozzarella. Knead for two minutes.

2. Divide the dough and form small (approximately 4-inch) balls. Use your palms to flatten the dough like a pancake.

3. Heat the oil to 350° F. Once it’s hot, fry each side for about 3 minutes. Remove the arepa from the skillet and place it on a paper towel. Let cool for about 2 minutes.

4. Crack the egg into a small bowl.

5. Create a pocket-like opening on the side of the arepa. The pocket should be big enough for the egg to fit in. Pour the egg into the pocket, making sure not to spill it.

6. Use a small amount of dough to seal the arepa. Place the arepa back in the oil and cook for 3 minutes.

7. Place on a paper towel and wait until cooled.

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María Ivette Vega Calles is a Puerto Rico–based contributing writer who has covered entertainment, lifestyle, culture and news for outlets such as El Nuevo Día and Univision.com. She works for Floricua, a digital news outlet in central Florida aimed at the Puerto Rican community.