SABOR: Food Blogger Vianney Rodriguez Explores Tejano Cuisine & Beyond

Vianney Rodriguez, founder of the food blog Sweet Life and co-author of "Latin Twist - Traditional and Modern Cocktails," has the best of both worlds. Born to Mexican parents in Texas, the food blogger plates and posts a diverse menu of authentic Mexican, Tex-Mex and Texas recipes.

Rodriguez crossed cultural borders each day. Spanish was spoken at home, and English was spoken at school -- those were the rules. The south Texas town, Aransas Pass provided her a trifecta of tradition that came from her Mexican parents, Texas upbringing and American experience. Those different elements had a determined sway on her love for food; and her mother, who now lives next door to her, taught her everything she now knows about food and cooking.

"I'm from south Texas, so we're Tejano. I'm a mix of three different worlds and I love it, and that's what I try to portray on my blog," Rodriguez told Latin Post. "It carries a lot of Mexican food, a lot of Tex Mex food, and I share a lot of Texas food. That's what really got me into sharing every different flavor in my life... that's what I focus on in the blog."

Hibiscus Jamaica, tamarind and chipotle chilies are among the appetizing ingredients that make frequent appearances on the website, as well as guava, a fruit that reminds Rodriguez of her deceased grandfather who had a guava tree in his backyard. Chile con queso with pico de gallo, calabaza en tacha (candied pumpkin) homemade ice cream, pineapple-mint infused vodka, chocolate cake with prickly pear jam, papaya chia jam and spicy chayote-jicama salad and other delicious recipe were practiced two or three times before Rodriguez listed them on her website, the Sweet Life Bake. Interestingly, the site was originally created to document Rodriguez's journey as she taught herself how to bake, but readers weren't interested in that after she posted her mother's amazing frijoles de la olla recipe.

"Since we were little, every Monday, my mother put a pot of beans on the stove. She'd make frijoles de la olla, and it's very easy," said Rodriguez. "It's just beans, pinto beans with a little bit of tomato, onion and cilantro, and it's simmered all morning. She'd make a big ole' pot. We knew during breakfast, lunch or dinner, we would have our beans...and I loved it. We'd walk in from school and our house would smell amazing. So, when I got married and I moved, I continued that tradition because that smell and that aroma and that flavor, it just captures all of my childhood.

"Now, every Monday I make a pot of beans. It might be on the stove, or it might be in a crockpot, but having that smell is just everything. And, it's the easiest recipe I have on the blog, and it's one of the more popular ones. People email me and say, 'Oh, my grandmother used to make frijoles or thank you for sharing.' It was one of the very first recipes that I shared where it was a piece of my childhood, where I gave a little story, so it was very personal. I was nervous because I didn't know how people would react to it, but I received great feedback. After that I decided to share more personal recipes."

After her blog became more recognizable, she was approached by companies that asked if she could write recipes, and others who proposed to feature her. Her blog became an online residence for culture and heritage, where others could receive it with love and appreciation. The blog has turned into a fulltime job, but seems very little like fulltime work because she's able to design beautiful creations and share her artistic vision.

"For people to respond so amazingly to my blog, it just makes me so happy," the blogger stated. "It's happiness, and I just finished a book tour. I looked at my co-author and I said this is insane, I can't believe people want to see us. They want to talk to us. It's been a really great ride, and I hope to just continue to share, and have people email me and say, 'I found your recipe to be delicious.' When I have a bad day, I open up those emails ... and they give me a boost."

"Latin Twist - Traditional and Modern Cocktails" came some time after Rodriguez's sister suggested that she post some of the sangria, margarita, and other cocktail recipes that she frequently prepares at home. She began with a beautiful peach margarita recipe, which received a great deal of feedback. Then it grew from there.

She started posting new cocktail recipes every Saturday and Friday, incorporating a variety or spirits, flavors and produce. Her interest in cocktails was inherited from her grandmother, who loved to entertain and create beautiful cocktails. Her cocktail book is dedicated to her grandmother, who so often allowed her to try cocktails when her mother wouldn't.

"The cocktail book has cocktails from 19 Latin countries, it's got 99 recipes, and they're all easy to make. You don't need any special tools, you don't need to be preparing liquors or have a huge bar," said Rodriguez. "We do different liquors and syrups from different countries, but also when we can't find them, we give you a substitution. So, it's got recipes and pictures. Right now, we're focusing on the book, and we've got great feedback with that."

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approaches, the chef will share a number of new recipes, including recipes for incredible tamale dishes.