Maria Conchita Mendez, Owner, Maria’s Gourmet Delights

Catering the finest authentic Cuban food showcasing a diverse cultural influence through fresh, nutritious, great tasting food at reasonable prices.

Maria’s Gourmet Delights was the creation of Maria Conchita Mendez as she pondered retirement. She knew she had to do something and cooking had always been her hobby. Sitting at the dining room table with a pen and pad, she started to jot down notes.

One of her passions was her love for her homeland, Cuba. She never forgot the day her family left, August 10, 1961. The day before she departed to Miami, as she sat by the window, she engraved in her young mind all that her eyes could see, the smells of the street vendors, the sea breeze, “Mi Cuba,” My Cuba.

With the passion for cooking and a God-given gift for taste and duplicating a dish without recipes, Mendez remembered all the childhood dishes she ate and how they provided the security and comfort of home. She decided she wanted to share the Cuban culture with others through cooking. Thus, the creation of her catering business providing authentic Cuban cuisine, pastries, empanadas, Paella and so much more.

“I research and create each dish with the objective to bring out its natural flavor by adding the right herbs and spice mixture, combined with fresh ingredients,” says Mendez, who caters to Baldwin and Mobile Counties. She sources some ingredients from her own organic garden as well as the Coastal Alabama Farmersand Fishermans Market (CAFFM) in order to meet her mission is to cook fine Cuban cuisine and to showcase its diverse cultural influence using only fresh, nutritious, great tasting food at reasonable prices.

“I decided to start a catering business that focuses on Cuban food, historical ties to the Gulf Coast, and engaging people to have fun,” says Mendez. Follow her and CAFFM on Facebook for some delicious recipes.

For more information about Maria’s Gourmet Delights, call 251-689-0005 or visit MariasGourmetDelights.com.