About Latin American Ingredients: Connecting Communities
The Latin American community is one of the fastest growing diaspora communities in the UK – more than a quarter of a million-strong – yet is one of the most invisible. Beyond pockets of strong local communities, that presence has little representation across wider society.
Today, food is increasingly becoming a form of expression, tradition, and connection for the diaspora. The incredible diversity of Latin American regional cuisine, steeped in history, tells of indigenous ingredients, colonisation and migration stories, with each Latin American country boasting a unique array of traditional dishes that are integral to their culture.
And while savoury dishes rely on ingredients that have been part of the region's native food offering for thousands of years, desserts rely on ingredients that combine the native – such as cacao – to those that are non-native, such as wheat and dairy. That necessary fusion has created a singular form of culinary expression – sweet foods that celebrate the link between Latin American and European ingredients and influences.
Mexican chef and author Karla Zazueta chairs this discussion exploring the deep roots of Latin American desserts and their ties to the UK with a panel of experts including Camila Marcías, a Latina pastry chef, food systems advocate and recipient of the Lou Willcock scholarship from the Oxford Cultural Collective for her work on the foodways of the Latin American diaspora in the UK. Her work aims to reconnect people with food origins while highlighting the cultural and environmental significance of food systems. They are joined by Sara Castaneda, who co-founded Rio Nuevo Chocolate working directly with small-scale cacao farmers in Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest and Cloud Forest, and artist-designer Laura Hoyos, founder of Hito Estudio that translates the act of eating into a multisensory and artistic experience, celebrating the ingredients and culinary heritage of Colombia.
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About the speakers
Laura Hoyos is a Colombian-born, London-based artist-designer. She founded Hito Estudio, where she explores the act of gathering around a dinner table and translates the act of eating into a multisensory and artistic experience. Passionate about Latin American foods, ingredients, and the culinary heritage of her home country, Colombia, she weaves these influences into her creative practice.
Camila Marcías is a Latina pastry chef, baker, and food systems advocate. She is the Head Pastry Chef at London’s e5 Bakehouse, and co-founded De La Raíz al Plato (From Root to Plate), an online platform dedicated to raising awareness about sustainable food systems and biodiversity loss in Latin America. As a recipient of the Lou Willcock scholarship from the Oxford Cultural Collective, she is conducting research on the foodways of the Latin American diaspora in the UK. Her work aims to reconnect people with food origins while highlighting the cultural and environmental significance of food systems. She regularly writes about food sustainability, heritage ingredients, and her journey in making desserts more sustainable on her Substack, Latina Cooking.
Karla Zazueta is a self-taught chef, Mexican cookery teacher and food writer. She has been teaching her Mexican heritage, recipes and techniques through cooking classes at her Mexican Food Memories cooking school. She also hosts monthly Mexican supper clubs at her family house. Her recipes have been featured in the Guardian, BBC Food, National Geographic Food Magazine and other important publications. In 2024 Karla’s first cookbook, Norteña, was published where she shares the story of her family recipes and northern Mexico. @mexicanfoodmemories
About Food Season 2025
The British Library Food Season returns for its seventh year, bringing together some of the most influential names in food, drink, hospitality, literature and science, for a series of events that highlight the stories, the politics and the people behind how and why we eat. Discover more Food Season events.
Concessions
There are a range of concessions available. These include discounts for British Library Members, half-price tickets for students and under 26s, free entry for carers as well as a number of other concessions.
Attending your events
Please note that this event takes place at Pavilion Theatre on the piazza of the British Library, London.
Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event. If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk
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