AleCooks

As a child, Alejandra Graf always noticed that food was the centerpiece of large family gatherings.

“Mexicans have a very special way of sharing food,” says Alejandra. “I come from a family where our best moments were in the kitchen — from cooking Christmas dinner to just a slow weekend breakfast that starts with coffee then stretches into the afternoon.”

As she started a family of her own, Alejandra was sure to pass this culinary passion onto her three kids. But when her son was born with dairy allergies, she realized she would need to shift her approach somewhat.

“I started reading and learning how to cook vegan foods that he could eat,” says Alejandra. “And then, some of my friends started having kids who also had allergies. So they called me and asked for advice about recipes.”

After enough long phone calls with other concerned parents, Alejandra’s husband suggested she put this advice online where more people could find it. So in 2013, she launched Piloncillo & Vainilla, a Spanish-language blog focused on sharing easy, delicious recipes that bring families together. Then, two years later, she launched her English-language version, AleCooks.

“I knew how to speak English and everything, but writing a blog in English was a lot at first,” says Alejandra. “Slowly I’ve been working at it, and here we are, ten years later. Now a significant portion of my audience is bilingual, which allows me to connect with them in both English and Spanish, further enriching the cultural and culinary experiences I share.”

In those ten years, Alejandra has been able to build up a large bilingual audience of home cooks who come to her site for delicious vegetarian recipes. In the process, her blog has grown from an enjoyable hobby to a thriving business.

With some reliable ad income, Ale has been able to expand her team. She now works with a developer, who helps manage content creation and the technical aspects of her blog. She also occasionally works with contractors who help with filming and editing videos. With these helping hands, Alejandra can focus on her main passion: developing delicious recipes.

“Over the years, I’ve received some truly inspiring messages from my readers that mean so much to me,” says Alejandra. “For example, one reader shared how learning to cook meals at home helped her feel empowered while making progress in her cancer treatment. Another mom wrote about how her kids loved one of my recipes, and for the first time in a long while, they all sat together and enjoyed a meal as a family.”

These stories remind Alejandra that what she does is about so much more than recipes — it’s about creating moments, memories, and even comfort during life’s challenges. “Knowing that my work has made a positive impact in someone’s life keeps me motivated every single day,” says Alejandra.

Along the way, Alejandra’s blog has garnered attention from some impressive sources. Her recipes have been featured in the New York Times, and her cookbook, Yo cocino latino, was featured on NBC, Telemundo, and Siempre Mujer. And in 2024, she was named one of the Latin Food Bloggers to Follow by VEGNEWS.

Alejandra has spent the past year refreshing her content and “reinventing herself.” As she looks ahead to the future, she hopes to publish another cookbook and continue growing her audience,

“I say, let’s keep going,” says Alejandra. “Let’s see where the future takes us.”