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
Oh, and the background information you have at the beginning of a lot of the recipes is also really interesting and appreciated.
I’m from Kentucky, by the way.
-Jo
Hi! I went with a class to Ecuador earlier this summer and I had to do a creative project that related to the trip when I came back. I chose to prepare a meal of Ecuadorian foods, and I used several of the recipes on your site. Everything came out beautiful and delicious. Your pictures helped me a lot, and everything looks so wonderful on your site.
I also have to create a webpage about the trip, and I put links to the recipes I used on there…I hope that you don’t mind. (I’m still working on the page, but it has to be done by this Monday, so if you check back then, it should be finished! It’s the web address I listed above.)
Muchas gracias una vez mas para las recetas!
Hi Jo – thank you for your comments, your project sounds like fun and I’m happy that you were able to use the recipes here.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This must is one of the best resources for ecuadorian dishes I’ve seen! Everything looks sooo good and I can’t wait to try many of the dishes here. Yu have done a wonderful job with this site.
Thank you for welcoming me! What a gorgeous site. WOW. I found it though while on a 14 day fast and if that wasn’t some kind of torture. haha
Hey if anyone knows what the soup is up at the top w/ the avocado chunks in it, I’d love to know. Can’t seem to find that recipe on the site.
Can’t wait to try some of these gorgeous recipes!
Katie in AZ
Hi Katie – Just in case you’re still looking for the soup, it is a potato soup called locro de papas, the recipe is here: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2008/01/08/locro-de-papa-creamy-potato-soup-with-cheese/
Hola
Me encanta su blog de recetas, me gusta cocinar tanbien. Estoy mui ocupado pero cuando tengo tiempo me gusta estudiar recetas y cocinar.
Muchas gracias por su blog. Saludos
Gustavo De San Diego Cali
Hello Layla.. a fellow ecuadorian writing here. (from the coast, Guayaquil to be more specific)
I love your recipes; I love cooking and I will try to make some for my husband soon
Keep writing
Love
Vivian
Thank you, Ann. The soup at the top is a potato soup called locro de papas, the recipe is here: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2008/01/08/locro-de-papa-creamy-potato-soup-with-cheese/
Hi Layla,
Wow! I love your site!
I found it when I was looking into healthy foods and they directed me to your emapanadas with swiss chard and beets and goat cheese. What a beautiful “mistake.” I am curious about a soup(?) at the top of the page with cheese and avacado slices…where/what is this recipe?
In searching for it, I have looked at quite a bit of your site, fantastic. I love the pictures, directions and clarity of the recipe. If you translate from Spanish, you do and excellent job
Thank you for a great site, I will mark it as one of my favorites!
Hi Renee, Thank you for visiting and for you comments! There’s a subscribe option on the sidebar (towards the top) on the main page, you can also subscribe thru the register option under Meta (at the bottom of the sidebar).
Hi Jessica – Thank you for stopping by, ayacas and humitas coming soon (I was going to make humitas this weekend but the weather has been way too nice to stay inside). Pictures at the top from left to right: pan de yuca or yuca bread, locro de papas or potato soup, seco de pollo or chicken stew with rice, and flan de coco or coconut flan.
Laylita – thank you so much for a wonderful site! The recipes are fantastic – I cna’t wait to get cooking. Two tiny requests: can you identify the pictures at the top? they look deliicous! and: ayacas and humitas pretty please!!!