AUSTIN, Texas — Food from all parts of Latin America made its way to Austin this weekend – all in one spot.
The lot behind Lulu's bar along Menchaca Road was transformed into a destination spot to Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico and other countries.
Vendors dished out traditional plates as part of the Sazon Latin Food Festival. The two-day event got a head start on Hispanic Heritage Month, which officially kicks off on Sept. 15.
The name of the festival, Sazon, references a type of seasoning that is a staple in Latin American food.
Rodrigo Diaz, the chef for Samba Brazilian Cuisine, said they've been in business for roughly nine months and being able to bring a taste of his home country to the festival meant the world to him.
"Brazil has a lot of culture ... It has a lot of like African descendants. So we love the music. We love the Samba," Diaz said. "That's why the name of the business [is] Samba Brazilian Cuisine; everybody knows Samba."
Diaz said food from Brazil is known for its influx of seasoning and flavor, which he notes is made with "a lot of love."
Angela Yunda and her crew brought over the taste of Argentina. A known specialty Yunda praised was the beef empanadas.
"It's a tradition, right, with ground beef and some onions, green peppers, red peppers, olives – and the Choripán bun is made that with Argentinian chorizo," Yunda said.
The idea for the festival was curated by Chadwick Burnaw, the chief executive officer of Latin City. Burnaw explained how during the pandemic he, like many others, hit a wall and came to the simplest concept: People love food.
"The idea is to give our guests a real good experience, real diverse experience about traveling, really all throughout Latin America," Burnaw said.
Burnaw said the event first started in January 2022, and he was surprised, yet excited, to learn that more people outside of the Latin community were exploring the plates.
"People really want to try the food from all around the world. Texas, or even Austin, is really big on barbecue, American food," Burnaw said. "It's really awesome to be able to take all of these really hard to find, and maybe [people may] not even know that those foods are there, and bring [them] into one space for everybody to try."
Burnaw said he hopes to one day bring vendors from every Latin American country together.
The last day of the festival is Sept. 15, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.