Carlos C Olaechea

Carlos C. Olaechea was born in Peru but grew up in Kendall and has lived and worked throughout Miami-Dade County. He has been writing about food since he was 11 years old, starting with restaurant reviews for the Southwood Middle School newspaper and later the FIU student newspaper before moving on to cover the local dining scene for various food blogs. He did his bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology at FIU where he developed a deeper appreciation and understanding of Miami’s unique history and culture. FIU is also where he developed a passion for Haitian culture and cuisine and even learned to read and speak Haitian Creole. His experiences at FIU have opened the doors to learning about the various communities that form part of Miami’s vibrant cultural landscape. Carlos later went on to pursue a master’s degree in gastronomy at Boston University and has since been a contributor to the Boston Globe, Food52, Saveur, and Food Network. He has also appeared in several academic publications on food on top of regularly giving culinary presentations and workshops throughout the country on topics ranging from Peruvian cuisine to queer food culture. His deepest passion is organizing immersive culinary experiences, including food tours and pop-up dinners that explore specific local neighborhoods or cultures. Carlos is extremely passionate about Miami’s unique culture and foodways and promoting its cultural assets as viable tourism attractions that can benefit the local economy at the grassroots level. Much of his academic research has been on the development of Miami’s contemporary food culture and what makes it unique within the United States, from how mangos are a symbol of the city’s cultural melting pot to how Cuban coffee became so ubiquitous beyond the Cuban-American community. He is excited to share with readers his favorite places to find an authentic taste of the “Magic City” and get them to explore every corner of the town he truly calls home.