Latest news with #Quijano
Miami Herald
27-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Bigger, better, sweeter: Miami's first chocolate factory gets a new home
When you walk into the sleek new home of Exquisito Chocolates in Little Havana, the first thing you notice is the aroma. The alluring scent of chocolate, glorious chocolate, wafts toward you, sweet but not cloying, heady and intoxicating. Sadly, owner Carolina Quijano can't really smell it anymore. 'I guess I'm too used to it,' she says, laughing. 'I'm here all the time.' Quijano, the University of Miami graduate who founded Exquisito Chocolates and opened her first factory in Little Havana in 2018, doesn't mind missing out on what makes her shop so unique. She's in tune with chocolate, how it should taste, how to make it — and how to make it better. Finally opening a brand-new factory after a lengthy journey through Miami's byzantine permit process is even sweeter than the scent she can no longer detect. Still located on Eighth Street in Miami, a bit east of the original, the new Exquisito Chocolates is more than twice the size of the first, with glass walls that allow customers to see how Quijano and her team go about the business of roasting cacao beans and refining chocolate, creating an artisanal candy that is light years beyond its commercial competitors. Moving from a 1,250 square-foot-space that once seemed huge into 3,300 square feet feels miraculous, says Quijano, who was born in Miami but raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. 'We were so cramped in there,' she says of the old space. 'Now we can just work in a more organized way. We have more control over how we're doing everything.' There's more space to showcase the retail products, particularly the candy bars and bonbons for which the brand has become famous. In the new factory, Quijano and her team can also make ice cream and pastries, sell coffee drinks, and give customers room to spread out, sip and enjoy. Even the location is an improvement, she says: It's across the street and a few doors east of the popular Cuban restaurant Sanguich. 'We have a lot more visibility, so a lot more people can come and see us,' she says. 'Our old space was very, very tiny, so people couldn't really appreciate everything that we did. I did a lot of tours and classes, and it just became so difficult to do that we had to stop. So now we can really showcase what we do.' Many brands have made good use of Quijano's chocolate, which has found its way into doughnuts from The Salty; ice cream at the beloved neighbor Azucar as well as the national brand Salt & Straw; cocktails at the Calle Ocho hot spot Café La Trova; and the beer at Lincoln's Beard Brewing Co. and the now-closed J. Wakefield Brewing. Part of Exquisito's appeal is Quijano's insistence on starting from scratch. 'Most of the time, when you go to a chocolate shop, they buy mass produced chocolate and melt it down and add stuff to it,' she explains. 'We treat making chocolate like a winemaker makes wine.' Quijano starts with cacao beans from seven different farms in Latin America and the Caribbean, roasting them in a huge, repurposed coffee roaster. It's a four to five day process to get blocks of chocolate that are then shipped to wholesalers. For the chocolate bars, ice cream and other treats sold in-house, the process of refinement continues with the help of a few contraptions Quijano has MacGyvered into existence, like a former freezer that now warms pans of chocolate and a decoration station for her colorful bonbons that involves panels of Plexiglass to protect the white walls and a disposable air conditioner filter. This painstaking level of attention continues through the process of creating all of the desserts. Exquisito makes its own peanut butter for a candy bar that evokes the taste of a Snickers bar, and the Oreo-like cookies for the cookies and cream ice cream. The extra space makes every step along the way easier, including offering room for a tasting wall, where customers can sample little bits of each chocolate bar from the most bitter dark chocolate to the sweet cafe con leche bar that is Exquisito's biggest seller. In some ways, the business has grown easier, Quijano says. She has more accessibility to farmers who produce high-quality cacoa and make it easier for her to keep up with the sustainability practices she believes in. In other ways, it's harder. Farmers are at the mercy of climate change, which can mean hotter days over longer periods, and unpredictable weather in the form of hurricanes, which can badly affect crops. Shifting tariff rules can be a headache, too. At one point, Quijano said, a shipment of cacoa from Colombia was already on the water when she learned there would be a 50 percent tariff assessed on the products. Fortunately, that tariff was rescinded, but it was an uneasy few days until it was. Political unrest in places like Haiti and sudden spikes in gas prices in countries like Colombia also factor in to what products are available, she said. 'It becomes harder to have consistency, especially with how much stuff we do,' she says. 'We don't know if we're going to be able to have our hot chocolate, our standard hot chocolate, in stock, because you've got to wait and see. And it's not like you just replace it with something else. Some chocolates are sweeter naturally. For example, like our Guatemalan tends to be very citrusy, very acidic. In ice cream or hot chocolate, you don't necessarily you want that, but for some reason, in a chocolate chip cookie it's delicious.' In addition to tours and truffle-and-chocolate making classes, Exquisito will offer wine and chocolate pairings, even beer pairings, just as soon as Quijano gets a license. Until then, she hopes locals and tourists will stop in to see how things work. And she promises there's something for everyone, whether it's a frozen hot chocolate or a dark chocolate ice cream or the insanely tasty Tumaco Milk, a dark milk chocolate bar with caramelized milk and brown butter. 'I'm not a wine person, so I'm always a little intimidated ordering wine at a nice wine place,' she says. 'But I don't want people to have that experience when they come here. So even though we sell the more high-end chocolate product, I still want to be accessible to people with things like the cookies and cream bar. Everybody's taste buds are different.' Exquisito Chocolates Where: 1920 SW Eighth St., Miami Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday-Thursday; 10 a.m. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday More information: or (786) 558-4580
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Jersey lawmakers push for Silver Alert notifications on mobile devices
TRENTON, N.J. – State lawmakers are working on a bill to protect those who can't protect themselves. Many of us are familiar with the notifications we get on our phones in the event of an Amber Alert—usually accompanied by a long, drawn-out audio and haptic notification. Lawmakers here envision the same thing for Silver Alerts. More Local News 'That individual needs our help immediately,' said Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-NJ 20th District). 'Not two days later, but immediately… We must protect all our members of our families – young and old.' A Silver Alert goes out in the event of a missing person who is believed to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other cognitive impairment, regardless of age, and is believed to be in danger. Silver Alerts are often seen on highway message boards and on social media, but aren't automatically sent to the masses like Amber Alerts. New legislation from Quijano looks to change that. 'As we all age and our parents are aging, I think individuals are now grappling with 'what do you do?' and this is one answer to that question,' said Quijano. Republican Assemblyman Antwan McClellan voted to advance the bill in Thursday's Public Safety and Preparedness Committee. 'Time is crucial so you never know — especially if somebody has dementia — if it's cold, you don't know how they left the house and what elements they're walking into,' said McClellan (R-NJ 1st District). 'We want to make sure that we get to them before they cause any physical harm to themselves.' 'Within the first 24 hours statistically, most people are found safely,' said Ken Zaentz, President and CEO of Alzheimer's New Jersey. 'But in the second 24 hours, about 50 percent of those who have wandered, when they are found, they've succumbed.' Zaentz says at least 60 percent of people with Alzheimer's will wander at some point, oftentimes out of confusion, frustration, or fear. 'Maybe they're looking for a place that was familiar, like a place they used to live,' said Zaentz, 'or if they worked nearby they could be traveling towards that workplace.' The bill advanced through the committee on Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Tatler Asia
28-04-2025
- General
- Tatler Asia
Meet Elizabeth Quijano, the Blaan indigenous community's first creative writer to win a National Book Award
What was it that compelled Quijano to start writing? 'We weren't hearing from indigenous writers, especially if they were women,' says Quijano. 'I said, 'If that's the case, I will be the first.' Ever since, she has continued to push for indigenous Filipino voices in the national literary scene, hosting classes and workshops for aspiring writers in her community. Despite her conviction, Quijano says that impostor syndrome has been a constant companion on her writing journey. 'There were many silent days and months; I wondered if people were awarding me out of pity, as the token indigenous writer,' she says. 'But this was an opportunity to know myself better, to face my strengths and weaknesses and emerge a stronger, more resilient version of myself.' Amplifying indigenous voices through education Photo 1 of 3 Elizabeth Quijano with members of the Blaan indigenous community Photo 2 of 3 Elizabeth Quijano at the tribal Filipino school of Datalfitak Photo 3 of 3 Elizabeth Quijano distributing school supplies to indigenous children Quijano currently works as a development communication instructor at the Southern Philippines Agribusiness and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) in Malita, Davao Occidental. She invites students into writing workshops, amplifying the voices of both female and LGBTQ+ members of indigenous communities. In their first session, students undergo sensitivity training for gender and conflict. The students deepen their appreciation for the literary craft, as Quijano enlists other Filipino writers to host webinars. Outside the classroom, Quijano also engages with the community on a larger scale. In 2024, she joined the Indigenous Peoples' Forum, showcasing the value of indigenous writing. 'They were amazed that our stories and writers had a platform,' she recalls. Now, she works directly with these communities, prioritising a deep awareness of what makes each group distinctive. Schools like Ateneo De Manila University and De La Salle University are particularly keen on featuring the works of indigenous writers, which has been a big help to Quijano. Aside from those options, Quijano encourages the community to self-publish to help increase the volume of Binisayan reading materials. More from Tatler: Opinion: We're experiencing a female digital revolution; we must let it thrive From the margins to the centre Above Elizabeth Quijano with members of the indigenous community Above Elizabeth Quijano with members of the indigenous community In the 21st century, most teaching materials and mainstream literature are written in Filipino or English. For Quijano, that has to change. By releasing literature about indigenous people, this pushes the boundaries of the national conversation around literature and cultural practices. 'We claim now as our time in the centre, spotlighting indigenous knowledge systems and practices,' she says. 'When it comes to fighting climate change and caring for the environment, we have deeply-rooted principles that are instrumental in creating genuine change.' Still, she recognises that Philippine indigenous groups, like any other, are not perfect. There are cases of funds being misused, which exacerbates their struggles. She recalls times when people outside the community were of greater help than those within it. 'Being part of the indigenous community is not necessarily biological, it's more ideological,' she says. 'It's more important to be united with people 'outside' the community in fighting for representation. On the other hand, being born into the community doesn't exclude you from doing the work to make your voice heard. There is still much work to be done.' Some community members were unsupportive of Quijano's work because she is not a pure-blooded Blaan. Quijano also has Kapampangan and Igorot roots. Kapampangans are primarily located in the province of Pampanga and neighbouring regions, which are all found at the centre of Luzon in the Philippines. Meanwhile, the Igorot indigenous group is situated in the Cordilleran region of northern Luzon. As the region is known for its mountainous terrain, the landscape has informed much of their lifestyle and distinctive traditions. 'They would say I didn't have the authority to tell the community's stories,' Quijano shares. 'I was not fluent in the Blaan language, the way I was in Cebuano.' Still, she believes that her unique heritage paved the way for her future works. Improving indigenous literacy through community libraries Above A glimpse of the Colonsabac Community Library Above A glimpse of Elizabeth Quijano at the Colonsabac Community Library Quijano recognises that the Philippines has a long way to go in promoting indigenous causes. 'How can we encourage indigenous writers when their basic needs aren't met?' she asks. 'Many don't have time to read or write. They're helping out on the farm or watching over their siblings.' She saw the value in gathering funds for school supplies and meals, but wanted to do even more. In 2024, she started to focus on her teaching background and the value of literacy. 'I wanted everyone to have access to different sources of information in a safe learning environment, finding a sense of unity there,' she says. This resulted in the creation of a cultural community library. She called for donations on social media, receiving help from the Philippine Librarians' Association. Quijano was also pleasantly surprised to receive 'sacks of books' from private individuals, which have created a vibrant library scene that is accessible to both indigenous and non-indigenous readers. In the future, Quijano hopes to increase the number of these libraries while adding internet access. 'Information is power, and this is one thing indigenous groups often don't have access to, especially during election season or when preparing for natural disasters,' she says. 'As a communications professor, having access to the Internet will empower them to pursue their unique crafts on a global scale.' The legacy of the Blaan people's first female creative writer Photo 1 of 3 Elizabeth Quijano at the Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia, after winning the arts and culture category Photo 2 of 3 Elizabeth Quijano attends the 2024 YSEALI Regional Workshop on Sustainable and Cultural Tourism Photo 3 of 3 Elizabeth Quijano at the Philippine Book Festival Davao Quijano hopes to continue producing good stories that endure through generations. 'I want to be remembered as the first Blaan woman to tell such stories, but not the only one,' she says. 'I want many women to follow in my footsteps. This would be the greatest way to honour the tales passed down to us from our ancestors.' Staying deeply rooted in the wisdom of the elders is key to keeping these stories alive. This will also help writers avoid misrepresenting the community, seeing it as a monolith instead of a tapestry of various groups with their traditions and beliefs. 'We all have our ambitions, but it's important to stay grounded in the experiences and needs of the community,' she says. Being anchored on this truth is what will help the Philippines' indigenous groups not just to survive, but to thrive. Front & Female Changemakers celebrates the extraordinary journeys of inspiring women who have emerged as powerful changemakers in a range of fields, offering a glimpse into their lives and showcasing their courage, vision and relentless pursuit of change and progress. From social entrepreneurs and business leaders to educators, artists, activists and scientists, Front & Female changemakers exemplify the ability to challenge the status quo and demonstrate the power of women to effect change. 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