PHOENIX – When Andrés Cano bakes bread from his home in Laveen, he relives his childhood days helping his mother in the kitchen, preparing Colombian dishes that today inspire his business.
Since he started his bakery, Andres Candough DoughVine Bread, Cano knew he wanted to include flavors that would connect him with the growing Colombian community in the Valley.
“What I can do is take Colombian recipes,” he recalls thinking when his business was only a plan. “Different recipes I grew up with … and make different kinds of bread that reflect my culture and truly incorporate Colombian culture.”
Some of the dishes he most enjoyed cooking with his mother, originally from Barranquilla, were fried mojarra with coconut rice, avocado salad with lime and stewed beef with beans. Those flavors of home, Cano said, now give his products their identity and have been part of his business’s success.
“What I loved when I was little — cooking — I now include in my bread,” he said. “That’s what has drawn people in, because they see it as something different.”
Cano’s entrepreneurship is part of a wave of Colombian businesses that, from home kitchens and food trucks, are filling a cultural gap in the Valley and offering a growing community a taste of home that used to be hard to find in Arizona.
Colombian businesses in Phoenix bring cultural identity to a growing community
According to 2021 figures from the Pew Research Center, about 1.4 million Colombians live in the United States.
While there are no official numbers for Colombians in Arizona, Vice Consul Edison Porras from the Consulate of Colombia in Los Angeles said during a recent visit to Phoenix that the community’s growth in Arizona is evident.
“After COVID, we saw a wave of migration of Colombians to the United States, and Phoenix, we’ve noticed, is one of the places where the Colombian community has most tended to settle,” Porras said. “Without a doubt, it’s fair to say the Colombian community in Phoenix has grown significantly in recent years.”
That growth has created the need for cultural havens where flavors, accents and traditions become a refuge. For many, food has been that bridge to keeping their roots alive.
Colombia is a country diverse in landscapes, ethnicities, cultures and traditions. That richness is also reflected in its cuisine, with typical dishes that vary by region and keep the cultural essence alive in the hearts and palates of Colombians—even those living far from home.
Cano’s business now has hundreds of customers who come from across the Valley. He also sells his bread at events, fairs and farmers’ markets and through collaborations with other restaurants and businesses.
“My company’s focus is on community,” Cano said. “I want to bring the community together, show the Colombian love that goes into cooking, and the warmth we carry as people.”
A similar desire to revive traditional flavors abroad can be seen in the story of Iván Darío Pedraza, who two years ago created Don Lechón, a business dedicated to faithfully recreating the taste of lechona, a typical dish from Tolima.
His product quickly became popular at events and fairs, where people expressed their excitement at seeing businesses like his introduce Colombian culture into a food scene where it had been nearly absent.
For Pedraza, preparing lechona is not just about offering a traditional dish, but also a way to connect with the Colombian community in Arizona.
“I’ve always liked the idea of creating, and what better than to create something people love to eat,” Pedraza said. “Helping one another, especially in a foreign country, has always been something I see as necessary. I believe if you’re here, it’s to help others.”
Although he’s been away from Colombia for over 30 years, Pedraza said he keeps his Colombian roots alive.
“Everyone tells me I don’t lose the essence of being Colombian. I believe no Colombian should lose that essence, because it’s so rich,” he said. “It’s nice for people to see that Colombians have good things to offer.”
Still, not everything has been easy, Pedraza explained, since finding ingredients with the same quality and characteristics as the original recipe has been a challenge.
“It wasn’t quite as close to the flavor we know lechona has in Colombia, because here it’s difficult to find pork skin with the same qualities as in Colombia,” Pedraza said.
That challenge has led him to import supplies from other states, research providers and even innovate new culinary techniques — all with the goal of creating a high-quality product that comes as close as possible to the authentic taste of lechona.
“You perfect it as you go,” Pedraza said. “The idea is to get closer to a more authentic flavor, even from so far away from our homeland.”
Pedraza said his dream is to one day open a Colombian lechona restaurant to serve the community.
“People say, ‘So when’s the restaurant coming?’” he said. “I imagine people would welcome a physical location with excitement, because they already know Don Lechón.”
Colombian group offers cultural connection in Tucson
In Tucson, there is an organization that each year offers a cultural and culinary oasis for Colombians.
Club Colombia is a nonprofit that sells Colombian food – such as arepas, empanadas, natural juices and occasionally desserts – during the annual Tucson Meet Yourself festival, a free event showcasing a wide range of ethnic food and cultural traditions.
Angela Roll, the organization’s president, said their booth tends to be one of the most sought-after each year, both by Colombians and others.
“The community welcomes us very warmly — people love to see that Club Colombia is there,” Roll said. “There were a couple of years when we didn’t participate, and everyone asked: ‘Where’s Club Colombia? We want Colombian food. We want to greet Colombians.’ They’re very enthusiastic and support us a lot.”
Roll said the food booth has given the community a way to taste flavors that aren’t easy to find in the city, which is why people look forward to the event each year.
“Even if they only see us once a year, just being able to eat empanadas, arepas or papa chorreada makes them happy,” she said.
The organization has participated in the annual event for more than 40 years, and the money from food sales is donated to charitable organizations in Colombia, Mexico and the United States.
Roll said what excites her most about the event each year is the chance to reconnect with other Colombians and spend time together.
“What I enjoy most is socializing with people. I always say, ‘It’s wonderful to hear all the news, ask people how they are, how their families are,’” she said.
For Roll, Club Colombia became a family that welcomed her when she was new to the state and didn’t yet know other Colombians. Now she wants to offer that same sense of home to others.
“Club Colombia is unity and culture. I tell them, ‘You are my family here,’” she said. “The support among us is strong, because we’ve been together for a long time.”
For many Colombians in Arizona, spaces like Club Colombia, Don Lechón and DoughVine Bread are not just businesses selling products at events or festivals. They are reminders that no matter the distance, the essence of being Colombian remains alive in every shared recipe and every gathering around the table.
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