The first time someone called me la gringuita was in Lima, Peru in January of 2020, but my story as la gringa started long before that. When I was 23, I moved to--and fell in love with--Montevideo, Uruguay. It was there that I lived in a residencia with a group of young adults from Uruguay, Venezuela and Cuba. I witnessed firsthand the courage it takes for someone to immigrate to another country, leaving behind family, friends, jobs. A sense of security. A sense of belonging. I think we all felt a little lonely at times, but we had each other. We would spend most of our days in the kitchen: eating, laughing, singing along to the guitar. They cooked me their favorite meals from childhood. I made them cookies.

You might think my story would have begun a year later, after I had moved and started selling gourmet cookies out of my apartment on the other side of the city, but it really all began in the small and crowded kitchen of that residencia.

I want my cookies to bring people together, no matter where they’re from or what their background is. I want my cookies to spark joy in someone, to take them back to a moment of happiness with every bite they take. I want my story to give you the courage to follow your dreams, too.