There are moments in this journey that quietly stay with me.

Moments that remind me why De La Vega exists beyond business, beyond trends, beyond recipes.

One of them made me cry.

There was a child with autism who had never wanted to chew food, never wanted to eat anything dark in color. Black food was a refusal — immediate, firm. I had just introduced a new plant-based, organic brownie. Without hesitation, he took it. He chewed. And he didn’t stop.

I stood there, holding back tears — and then I didn’t. They flowed freely.

Since that day, even more children have come to love it.

Children know.

They feel what is honest. They sense what is gentle. They recognize nourishment without explanation.

Another moment followed — a young boy who came to the shop every day, eager to cook, eager to learn. One day, when he couldn’t, he cried. Not out of entitlement, but out of longing. That kind of longing — to touch food, to be part of the process — ignited something deep inside me.

This fire has been there since I was young.

The belief that food is education. That from early on, we shape what children understand as “good.” Not loud labels. Not fear. Just care. No GMOs. Thoughtful ingredients. Real intention.

Even a five-month-old baby taught me something.

Her mother ordered “It’s Not Tiramisu.” I gently mentioned that it contains a hint of coffee. She paused, then smiled — and trusted. The baby loved it.

These are not small moments to me.

They are everything.

This is why we continue to innovate.

Why we keep researching, refining, choosing better paths even when they are harder.

I hope that when these children grow older, De La Vega will live quietly in their memory —

the way certain tastes live in ours.

Soft. Safe. Familiar.

A reminder that food, when made with care, can become a place of belonging.

That is why we are here.

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