Hecho en Casa

Hecho en Casa “FROM MOROVIS, PUERTO RICO TO THE WORLD...”

HAVING A RESTAURANT OR BUSINESS HAS BEEN MY DREAM SINCE I WAS 12 YEARS OLD. MY FAMILY AND I USED TO JOKE ABOUT THE FUTURE RESTAURANT NAME AND THE IDEA OF HAVING ALL MY FAMILY WORKING WITH ME.

My tías in the kitchen cooking, some primos taking orders, and the tíos cleaning and keeping up the structure. I always envisioned the phrase “FROM MOROVIS, PUERTO RICO

TO THE WORLD...” and my present world is Saint Louis, MO.

I am originally from Morovis, Puerto Rico, and moved to New York in August 2013 with a volleyball scholarship. I had difficulty transitioning between the language and being alone, but mostly trying to find similar food from home. Since I moved to the USA, finding Sofrito was impossible, and I was very used to my mom’s recipe. For a while, she used to send me sofrito every month in the mail until I realized the price, time, and effort my mom was making to send me those packages.

After 4 years, I moved to St. Louis and decided that it was my time to make the Sofrito myself. I grew up watching my mom, abuela, and tías, so I was familiar with the ingredients and process. After a lot of research and drives around St. Louis, I finally found all the ingredients to create a Puerto Rican Sofrito, just like my mom’s. However, it was not until November 2021, when my oldest brother came to visit me during Thanksgiving that I got inspired to go big or go home. He commented on starting a Sofrito business during our dinner and it got stuck in my mind. I was taking a break from my dream, and him bringing this idea motivated me to do it right away.

In December 2021, I decided to start the journey by registering the business name, getting paperwork done, and beginning to promote the business via Instagram. I quickly got a lot of customers, and they were able to enjoy my Sofrito during the festivities where we, Puerto Ricans, miss those flavors the most.

Hecho en Casa now operates locally in St. Louis and our goal is to be visible in all the grocery stores in the USA and Puerto Rico. Our Sofrito is unique and provides all the flavors and scents from our country and childhood. When you cook with Sofrito from Hecho en Casa, you can be transported to Puerto Rico, family and friends, music, and memories.

Hecho en Casa has participated in excellent programs such as IGNITE 2022 from CET, Tactix course, and Marketing sessions. We have also been present in the City Foundry STL market and The Date Night Market at Union Station STL. We have collaborated with notable companies such as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Cortex Innovation Community and Edward Jones during their Hispanic Heritage Month event.

Our goal is to expand our business so that everyone in St. Louis understands what Sofrito is and how it can be utilized.

Check out our Instagram page at @hecho–en–casapr, for offers, recipes, event details, and information about

Sofrito and our Puerto Rican culture.