My name is Layla Pujol, my family and friends call me Laylita. I was born in Vilcabamba, Ecuador and currently live in Luxembourg. I spent several years in the US, both in Austin and in Seattle, and our family recently moved to Europe. My recipes are inspired mainly by traditional Ecuadorian dishes that I grew up eating in Ecuador. However, my love of food – and therefore the recipes posted here – go beyond Ecuador and include anything from Latin America, my mom’s spicy New Mexican cooking, my grandmother’s homemade Southwestern dishes and Texas style BBQ, my husband’s (and his family’s) delicious French food, new dishes introduced by my amazing group of international friends, and of course the great variety of seafood, vegetables and fruits available in the Pacific Northwest.
I am currently working on my first cookbook, which will focus on delicious Ecuadorian recipes (adapted to my style, of course!).
The longer version of my story
My approach to cooking and general instructions for using this site
Additional contact information
Photo and content use
Recipe development, product reviews, disclosure, and advertising
Privacy policy
If you have any questions or comments you can leave them in the comment section, or you can email me directly layla at laylita dot com
Hola! I was born in Ecuador but moved to the US in the 1960’s at a the age of three. I am the only one in my family who truly enjoys Ecuadorian cuisine. My father used to cook the hornado, and it was out of this world. He always started it at a high heat and then lowered it considerably. I did not see a response to the question about cooking it on the grill. Is there a method for doing that? Also, do you have a recipe for pernil? I have never been able to find that in any restaurant in Chicago, where I live. Best wishes for you and your family for 2012 and thank you for providing these wonderful recipes to all who yearn for a taste of Ecuadorian cuisine, a magical place with truly wonderful people. Judi
Hi Judith – I haven’t ever tried cooking the hornado on the grill, I’ll look into that next time I go to Ecuador. I do have a recipe for pernil, it’s the way they prepare it in Loja: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2008/03/12/pernil-or-roasted-pork/
Hi Layla,
You know…. I think my wife married me because of my ability to cook!!!
She is of Irish/British parents and loves to try new Ecuadorian
dishes all the time!!I was born in Ecuador and raised in NY.
Much of the recipes I make are recipes from my mother which
range from making refrito, seco de chivo to relleno de carne
at Thanksgiving!! I just wanted to say hello and thank you
for sharing your recipes!!!
Felicitaciones on your website!!
Alberto
Gracias por compartir todas tus recetas! Brings back memories from back home and childhood!
I just happened to stumble upon your website while looking for innovative salmon dishes to make with my boyfriend. I’m Latin American so I love all the spicy additions. Great job on this site; it all looks so delicious and I’m super excited to start trying them out.
Best from Portland ,OR!
Glad to see more frequent recipes! Happy Thanksgiving!
Layla, your blog gives us a little piece of Ecuador even when we are far away. My husband is from Ecuador (Ibarra), and I lived there many years too, but not being from there I never really learned to cook all the dishes we love. When we are missing local dishes, we always turn to your webpage and find exactly what we need. And the meal that follows always soothes our nostalgia, even if for just one night. Thanks for this invaluable resource. Best, Karla
Estoy super feliz de encontrar este sitio web. Hace un año que mi compañero y yo nos mudamos a California a Vilcabamba, Ecuador. ¿Qué casualidad!
He tratado mucha comida deliciosa como aquÃ, pero no tengo ni idea de cómo hacerlo mi mismo – ahora puedo!
Muchas gracias por compartir sus historias, recetas, y el tiempo. Espero poder tratar todas las recetas:)
Thank you for sharing these recipes! I love your website and am so happy I can direct friends to your website so that they can learn more about Ecuadorian food.
Hola Layla, soy Guayaquilena y solamente quise obtener una receta de como preparar un arroz con pollo y me he quedado encantada con todas tus recetas, a buena hora puse tinta a mi impresora porque he sacado copias de casi todas tus recetas incluyendo como se hace la chicha de pinia, come y bebe y cahipirinias. No me gusta la cocina, soy Arquitecta y siempre he dicho muy sinicamente que deberiamos de diseniar casas sin cocinas, jajaja. Vivo en Texas, te felicito y te agradezco el haber publicado todas estas recetas. Me gustaria saber si tienes algun libro publicado???
Mil gracias a ti y a que te gusta cocinar, voy a inspirarme en algunas de tus recetas para sorprender a mi querido esposo!!!
Que rrrrreco! Thank you so much for this website. I left “El Ecua” about 10 years ago and I always write my mom for recipes. Now I dont have to bother her. I havent gone through all your treasure chest but I am about to start. Thanks! Muchisimas gracias y que Diosito te bendiga!