National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 through October 15, offering an opportunity to celebrate the histories, cultures, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities.
At Oldways, while we celebrate culinary traditions all year long, for this special month, we have extra special celebrations — in the way we know best which is through heritage foods, cultural traditions, and the connections they create.
Food carries stories, wisdom, and a sense of place. From tortillas passed around the family table to regional cheeses crafted by small producers, Latin American food traditions reflect generations of knowledge, creativity, agriculture, and community.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re excited to spotlight people and partners who are preserving these traditions, sharing their knowledge, and using food as a bridge that brings communities and cultures together.
Family, Heritage, and Tortillas: Catallia Mexican Foods
Photo courtesy of Frescados.
We’re celebrating the family story behind Catallia Mexican Foods, makers of Catallia and Frescados tortillas.
The family’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1985, when Cathy Cruz Gooch’s family started selling tortillas to local grocers. Cathy, a third-generation Mexican American, drew on her family’s culinary traditions as the business expanded. Catallia Mexican Foods was established in 2005, creating the family’s own direct tortilla manufacturing operation. Today, the company continues to connect its products to cultural tradition, family values, quality, and innovation.
In our upcoming spotlight, we’ll explore how the Gooch family’s Mexican-American heritage has influenced the company, what traditional Mexican foodways can teach us about eating well, and how culturally significant foods can be celebrated without suggesting they need to be “fixed” to fit into a healthy eating pattern.
To bring the celebration into your own kitchen, try Frescados’ Pulled Jackfruit Tacos, made with yellow corn tortillas and topped with avocado, radishes, lettuce, Cotija cheese, and chipotle pineapple salsa.
Using young green jackfruit creates a satisfying plant-forward taco filling while the corn tortilla keeps one of Mexico’s most foundational foods at the center of the plate.
Try the recipe and follow them on Instagram @catalliamexicanfoods
Join Oldways & AARP on October 8
On October 8, Oldways will join AARP for a special Hispanic Heritage Month webinar featuring:
- Kelly LeBlanc, Oldways’ Vice President of Nutrition Programming and
- Sarah Anderson, Oldways’ Heritage Curriculum Partnership Manager
The webinar will offer another opportunity to celebrate Latin American food traditions and explore the importance of culturally rooted approaches to food, nutrition, and community.
Register here.
Bring A Taste of Latin American Heritage to Your Community: Now Available at No Charge!
We’re excited to share an important update this Hispanic Heritage Month: all of Oldways’ Heritage Diet cooking class curricula including A Taste of Latin American Heritage are now available digitally at no cost.
With many community partners facing funding challenges, Oldways has removed cost as a barrier because we believe culturally rooted nutrition education should be accessible to everyone.
Whether you work in a library, school, healthcare organization, community center, food pantry, or another community setting, these materials are designed to help bring culturally meaningful food and nutrition education to the people you serve.
Want a preview first? We have complimentary Latin American Heritage, African Heritage, and Mediterranean Diet Demo kits that feature recipes and key teaching points developed with guidance from Oldways’ Advisory Board Committees.
Explore the Heritage Diet Curricula.
What Is the Oldways Latin American Heritage Diet?
The Latin American Heritage Diet reflects the rich culinary traditions of Indigenous peoples and Spanish, Portuguese, continental Africans, and the indigenous people (Aztecs, Incas, Mayans, and other Native Americans), communities across Latin America.
It emphasizes flavorful, affordable, and heritage foods such as maize, potatoes, peanuts, beans, fresh fruits, and vegetables. These traditional foods offer cultural nourishment while supporting health and wellness and can play an important role in addressing health inequities in Latin American communities.
Learn more about the Latin American Heritage Diet through Oldways’ videos and educational resources:
- Short Introduction Video
- Oldways A Taste of Latin American Heritage Webinar with Oldways President Sara Baer-Sinnott, Hannia Campos, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Sylvia Klinger, founder, Hispanic Food Communications
- Latin American Heritage Additional Teacher Training with RD Sylvia Klinger and Heritage Curriculum Partnership Manager Sarah Anderson
Recipes & Resources
Bring the flavors and traditions of Latin America into your kitchen, classroom, or community with Oldways’ recipes and educational resources:
- A Taste of Latin American Heritage – Teacher Training & Curriculum
- Setting Up Your Latin American Heritage Kitchen
- Oldways Latin American Heritage Recipes
Follow us on Instagram at @Oldways_PT for recipes, educational videos, partner stories, and highlights from our Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
Spread the Word!
Celebrate with us online by sharing Oldways’ Hispanic Heritage Month graphics, recipes, and checking out our month-long “National Hispanic Heritage Month” celebration calendar!
Help us amplify the incredible depth and diversity of Latin American food traditions—and recognize the farmers, producers, educators, families, cooks, and communities carrying these traditions forward.
Tag @Oldways_PT and use #Oldways #OldwaysHeritage #OldwaysLAH #ATOLAH to join the celebration.
Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month!
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