Peruvian born Carolina grew up near the banks of the Amazon River. Her passion for food started as a young girl watching her mother cook and spending time together in the kitchen. After meeting her Kiwi husband and making the move to New Zealand, Carolina missed the taste of home and the Peruvian food she grew up enjoying. She started to look for Peruvian ingredients available in New Zealand, improvising with the addition of local ingredients so she could recreate the tastes of home.

During her search for Peruvian ingredients, Carolina discovered that some New Zealand farmers grow the Rocoto chili, a chili variety native to Peru. Excited by her find, she was able to create her authentic Peruvian chili sauce product which she started sharing with friends and family, and eventually selling as well.

Carolina joined The Kitchen Project with a vision to provide an authentic Peruvian food offering in Auckland. Having done a few of the Latin American markets and festivals over the summer trialing her traditional delicacies such as ceviche, Carolina wanted to make food service a more consistent part of her business and joined The Kitchen Project to help her achieve this. “Being part of The Kitchen Project has been amazing, it’s built up my confidence about what I want to do with my food at the markets and believing in myself.  It has been a highlight meeting new people and sharing our experiences, as well as working through my goals and learning a lot about the food industry in New Zealand.”

The short-term vision for Carolina is to have her own Food Truck travelling around Auckland educating kiwis about Peruvian cuisine. In the future, Carolina hopes to open her own Peruvian-Latin café doing catering and dine-in, but also to continue running her food truck, attending large events, and showcasing her authentic Peruvian cuisine.

Currently Carolina is selling her chili sauce product online via Instagram and continues to do the summer Latin American markets. Carolina is also at the Pachamama monthly market selling her Peruvian food.  Follow Carolina on Instagram and Facebook to find out where her products will be available next.