Women’s History Month

MEET LOLA

In honor of Women's History month, we wanted to take a special moment to honor an important woman that we hold dear to our hearts. Her name is Alberta Dila, or as she likes to go by, "Lola". If you've guessed it by now, Lola is the mother of John Dila.

Growing up John remembers Lola to be a strong woman, as she raised her kids while their dad was abroad for most of their childhood. She worked hard everyday to make sure her family had everything they needed.

Her love and dedication for her family didn’t stop there. Lola is known for taking family and even strangers in with welcoming love in times of need. No matter who they were, Lola treated everyone as if they were family. Her values and teachings is what Califas seeks to honor by welcoming all of our guests with open arms.

"I remember she would give out popsicles to kids in the neighborhood and clothing to those who needed it. Every time she introduced herself, she would just say 'You can call me Lola.' Lola is the Tagalog word for 'Grandma'. It's just how people saw her" - John Dila.

MEET PURA

In continuation of honoring the amazing women we hold dear to our hearts, we’d like to introduce Purificacion who was commonly known as ‘Pura’ which quite literally means ‘Pure’. Pura was the grandmother of Erika Dila and her inspiration for establishing Califas.

For Erika, Califas symbolizes home. It is a dream to come true not only for her but also for her family. Even though her greatest mentor is no longer with us, Erika believes she can showcase her

Grandmother's legacy and what she embodied by sharing what she has learned through her cooking. Sharing her family dishes is a way for everyone to experience the love and comfort that Erika personally experienced growing up.

“She is the one that would say, ‘Always do your best to outdo your last dish. When you cook food especially for others, you always do it with love so they can taste that in every bite they take.’ That has always stuck with me.” -Erika Dila

“Abuelita Pura" was known for doing her part for the community by helping those affected by hurricanes or other natural disasters that often strike Honduras. She would attend to people that were sick and made them homemade herbal remedies. She was very wise and used a lot of what the land would have to offer. From making soap from scratch with flowers and tree barks, to crafting shrimp and fish traps to put in the river.

Her talent for food goes way past the kitchen as she was accustomed to milking cows, having chickens, pigs and other farm animals. She made her own crema, cheese, candy and bread from scratch. She knew all the different herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables that you could find in the wild. She did not like taking shortcuts and made sure everything was done from scratch because she believed the food you eat, always takes after the love that is put into it.