The Rest of the Story
Tienda Salsita
A Trip to Guadalajara Changed Everything
In 2017, founder Kathleen, known to friends and family as Catalina, traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico to deepen her Spanish and immerse herself in everyday life with family. While living with a close family friend, Tia Nella, she was introduced to the world of chiles and to salsa in its truest form: not blended, not rushed, but slowly made by hand, chiles toasted over a comal, ingredients layered, and everything stone ground in a molcajete.
From a Home Kitchen to Tienda Salsita
When Kathleen returned home to the U.S., she could not find anything that tasted like what she had experienced in Mexico. So she began making her own, first for friends, then for her local community, grinding her salsa by hand in a molcajete out of her home kitchen. In 2018, Tienda Salsita was born. What started as jars made by hand has grown into a small but mighty business rooted in tradition, craft, and connection between communities in California and Mexico.
Honoring a Tradition That Is Not Her Own
While Kathleen is not Mexican herself, Tienda Salsita was shaped by years of learning from and cooking with Mexican cooks, her Latina family, and the community she came to know in Mexico. She approaches this work with respect, gratitude, and a commitment to honoring the traditions behind salsa, and Tienda Salsita is dedicated to supporting and uplifting the Latinx community, both in Northern California and Mexico, through sourcing, collaboration, and storytelling.
Rooted in Sonoma County
Today, Tienda Salsita works with small farms across Sonoma County and Northern California who prioritize sustainable farming practices, soil health, and flavor-first growing. Their partner farmers include Lazaro from The Patch in Sonoma, who grows their tomatoes, Manuel from Reyes Farm in Windsor, who grows tomatillos and chiles, and Farmer Birgit and Farmer Gabriel of Summerfield Biodynamic Farm, who supply an array of colorful biodynamic tomatoes, among other local growers who continue to join the Tienda Salsita family.