The Next Course: Carolina Ginorio @caroginorio_pr Interview
Highlighting Up and Coming Food Creators
I have been making videos on the internet for over 15 years and have been doing it fulltime for almost a decade! Watching the industry evolve and seeing fresh talent emerge never gets old. That's why I started this series "The Next Course,” an interview series to spotlight rising creators who are making waves in the community.
But here's the best part: I want your input! Every creator I feature will come straight from your suggestions. So, let me know in the comments who you think deserves the spotlight next, and keep an eye on my IG stories where I’ll be crowdsourcing ideas there too. I can't wait to discover the next generation of creators with you! This time we are getting to know Carolina Ginorio aka @caroginorio_pr
Name: Carolina Ginorio
Handle: @caroginorio_pr
Location: Brooklyn NY
Occupation: Art Director/Content Creator
How would you describe your content?
My content is basically just a modern approach to classic Puerto Rican food, done in a fun, artsy kind of way. It’s playful, I’m not a purist but I’m not anti-traditional either—I’m just interested in encouraging people to cook this food and to have a little more fun in the kitchen.
And it’s pretty. You eat with your eyes first, right? So yeah, the videos gotta be nice to look at.
Why do you make food content?
My own nostalgia is the thread that ties it all together. I learned to cook as a homesick college kid, so most of my culinary experience is about chasing a feeling. Some recipes are recreations of my favorite dishes from childhood. While others fold the flavors I grew up with into my own unique creations.
What’s the piece of content you are most proud of?
I made a video about one of my all-time favorite Puerto Rican cookies, Mantecaditos. I grew up eating them constantly—my mom makes the absolute best, no question. This time, I got to share not just the recipe with my audience, but the memory behind it too. The video shows my mom and me making them together, just like we used to—mixing dough, shaping little balls, and sitting in front of the TV watching telenovelas. It’s more than a cookie; it’s a piece of my childhood.
What’s the piece of content that has performed the best?
My very first video is what comes to mind when I think of my most “successful” one, mostly because it kind of went viral for all the wrong reasons. I shared a simplified recipe for tostones (fried plantains) and people lost their minds.
Traditionally, you slice the plantain, fry it, smash it, then fry it again. But my mom taught me a shortcut—microwave the plantain first, then smash and fry. It saves time and still tastes fantastic, with a slightly better crunch, in my humble opinion.
A lot of the views were driven by people hate-watching or posting really mean comments about me destroying Puerto Rican cuisine, but surprisingly some really loved the trick! And to this day, I still get messages from people who swear by it, and people who used to be too intimidated to do all that frying but now they make them twice a week. And that’s what it’s all about for me.
What camera do you use?
Fujifilm XT4
What’s a type of cuisine you haven’t explored that much of, and want to dig deeper into?
I mainly focus on Puerto Rican food, it’s my culture and where I feel most connected. But I’ve been really curious about older Puerto Rican recipes from the 1930s, '40s, and '50s—dishes that nobody really cooks anymore. I’d love to dig them up and find ways to revive or reinvent them, or just taste them for the first time. Maybe even try to figure out why they aren’t around these days. Are ingredients hard to find? Did certain flavors just go out of style?
I’m also fascinated by the connections across Caribbean cuisines, especially how many of our dishes have roots in African culinary traditions. Exploring those original recipes and their shared history is something I really want to spend more time on.
What social media platform do you like the most?
Instagram. I started on TikTok but for whatever reason after the first year the algorithm started to like me better on Instagram. I still post on TikTok but it’s not my main focus.
Why do you post online?
I’m a designer who loves to cook, so the dream was always to create a cookbook. I started posting basically as a proof of concept—trying to show that there is definitely an audience out there for artful and non-traditional Puerto Rican food content.
But along the way it’s become so much more. I’ve met so many friends from this huge community of food people, and I’ve become really passionate about using these social platforms as a way of contributing to this incredible online world of cool Puerto Ricans doing cool things. I feel so lucky to be able to do that.
What do you want out of this?
Over the last few years it’s become a lot more about preserving Puerto Rican cuisine and inspiring our people to reconnect with it. I want to show that it’s not as intimidating as it seems—that you can cook like your abuelita if you want to. And that it’s more important to keep these flavors alive in our homes than it is to cook everything the exact same way it was done 50 years ago.
Why do you think people follow you?
I think people follow me because they relate to what I’m sharing. Maybe it’s a recipe they grew up eating, a song they haven’t heard in years that instantly takes them back, or maybe they’re just hungry. Nostalgia is at the heart of everything I do—and there’s definitely a big “if you know, you know” factor that connects with people on a deeper, cultural level.
Anything else you want to tell everyone or promote?
I’m launching a summer zine! It’s the second one I’ve put out, and it’s all about Puerto Rican summers. It includes recipes and art from PR, and will be available on my website carolinaginorio.com if anyone wants to check it out. :)
Any questions for me?
If you’re ever in Bushwick let me know, I’m sure we can find a good brunch spot!