Gringuita Cookies - Handcrafted & Made With Love!
From the vibrant streets of Montevideo to the sunny shores of Florida, the journey of Gringuita Cookies is as rich and diverse as the flavors themselves. The story begins with Caroline McGinley, a young woman whose love for baking and deep connection to Latin American culture led her to create cookies that bridge worlds and bring people together. In this Delivery Rank’s interview, Caroline shares how her journey as "la gringuita" began in a small kitchen in Uruguay, where she first experienced the power of food to unite people from all walks of life. It was in this residency, filled with young immigrants from Venezuela, Cuba, and Uruguay, that she began making cookies—a simple act that would later grow into a flourishing business. Her cookies aren’t just sweet treats; they’re a testament to the shared experiences of migration, resilience, and belonging.
Your cookies have roots in Uruguay but are now thriving in Florida. How does that cultural journey shape the flavor, spirit, and branding of Gringuita Cookies?
I never would have started a business if I didn't live in Uruguay first. Moving to a foreign country by myself--without knowing anyone who lived there--to work at a job I found on google was one of the most challenging risks I have ever taken. I was fluent in Spanish, but I struggled with the local accent and vernacular spoken among my roommates and friends. I was the only English speaker, so I had to be okay with my imperfect Spanish and feeling like I didn't fit in. I turned to baking as an outlet and after a year of living in Montevideo, I started selling my quarter pound, American-style cookies through Instagram. They became a reflection of both the nostalgic food from my childhood and the new identity I was stepping into as a young adult.
The name “Gringuita” carries a lot of heart and history. What does that nickname mean to you now, and how has its meaning evolved since you first heard it in Lima?
Being called "la gringa" by my friends, even in a teasing, lighthearted way, really bothered me. I already felt like an outsider, and "gringa" felt too intertwined with American stereotypes, stereotypes I felt were not an accurate representation of who I was. It didn't happen overnight, but eventually I realized choosing to be the outsider was actually a very brave thing to do. When I was first called "gringuita" by a family friend in Peru, I decided to embrace the name and the weight it holds. My experiences forced me to think about the many people who move to the US from other countries and the unfathomable amount of courage they must have needed to do so, especially when the discourse around immigration can be so negative. I am amazed and inspired by their strength and bravery. I hope the name of my business and the story behind it can transcend its literal definition.
Many people see cookies as comfort food—how do you infuse emotion, memory, or even storytelling into your recipes?
Simply put, I use butter. Over time, comfort food available in grocery stores has morphed into overly-processed gluten-free flours, vegetable oils, and "natural flavors" developed in a lab. I recently saw another cookie brand talk about how much protein their products have. What's comforting about that? Gringuita Cookies are cookies and they're not trying to be anything else. I use ingredients you can find in your pantry because I developed my recipes with ingredients I could find in mine. They're indulgent, don't get me wrong, but so were the cookies my mom made for me and my siblings growing up. To me, that is comfort.
What was the first cookie you ever sold, and how did it feel to watch someone bite into something that started as a story from your past?
Shortly after starting an instagram page with photos of my desserts in Uruguay, I joined a little pop up market in a hotel in Montevideo. It ended up being a rainy day and hardly anyone showed up. I honestly might have sold to five customers max, but I will never forget watching a complete stranger try something I created--and like it. To an outsider, it might have looked anticlimactic (I had an entire table of unsold goods in front of me), but my body lit up the same way it does when I'm holding a one-way ticket to another country in my hand. Heart-beating, knowing that I'm going to step on the plane even though I have no idea what life will look like when I land. I was all in.
How do you want someone to feel—not just taste—when they eat a Gringuita Cookie? What’s the emotional recipe, so to speak?
Before selling my creations, I was baking them for my roommates. They were either from inland Uruguay or had moved to Uruguay from Venezuela and Cuba, and we were all living in Montevideo for the first time, together. We made and shared food that tasted like childhood and despite our different upbringings, it brought us together. When someone eats a Gringuita Cookie, I want them to feel safe and accepted, no matter where they were born or what their background is. I hope my story can give others the courage to follow their dreams, too.
To read more about Gringuita Cookies, please visit https://gringuita-cookies.com/