How it Started
La Llamita Vegana is a passion project years in the making brought to fruition by Alexandra Giel.
Alex was born in Peru and moved to the U.S. when she was just a little baby. She grew up in Manhattan and moved to the Philly area when she was in High School. Alex was raised on Peruvian food, but in 2010, while in college she decided to go vegan after learning about the negative environmental impacts our food system has on the planet. Going Vegan is something Alex has never looked back on, but Veganism and Peruvian cuisine don’t usually go hand in hand.
A few years ago, Alex’s mom made her a vegan version of her favorite childhood dish; Arroz Tapado. The Peruvian flavors were something she had really been missing since she went vegan. Her mom’s creation seriously hit the spot and sent Alex on a mission to veganize all the recipes she had been missing from her Peruvian culture. In May of 2020, she decided to attend The T. Colin Campbell Center For Nutrition Studies where she earned her Plant-Based Nutrition Certification. Participating in this course inspired Alex to apply everything she had learned about a whole food plant based diet to all of her recipes and she slowly started sharing them with friends and family.
With an extensive background in the hospitality industry, Alex decided to host her first popup event in July of 2022. Alex’s food sold out within a few hours. It was a testament to her talent and passion, echoing loudly in every satisfied customer’s smile. Initially, it was a once-a-month venture, aside from her full-time job. But when that company closed its doors, fate nudged Alex towards a new path – transforming her passion into a full-time pursuit. She established her own business, La Llamita Vegana in February of 2023. Fast-forward to today, and Alex is sharing these recipes with you through catering orders, at local Farmers markets, pop-ups, and festival events in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas.
What we offer
La Llamita Vegana is a woman and Latinx owned business that uses vegan, organic & gluten-free ingredients to participate in small batch catering, markets, & pop-up events in the Philadelphia area. Our food is made with no added oils from mostly whole food plant based ingredients and all recipes are inspired from traditional Peruvian dishes and curated by @Alex.Giel, a life-long Peruvian, 13+ year veggie, & a T. Colin Campbell Center For Nutrition Studies, Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Professional. Our culinary mission is to craft dishes that are not just tantalizingly delicious, but also brimming with health benefits. Feel good with food made with your health in mind. We use local ingredients when possible and try to be environmentally conscious by providing compostable cutlery and creating Unique, one-of-a-kind recipes with a low carbon footprint. Both our meal prep, delivery meals, and catering services are completely vegan and gluten free. From classic favorites like Arroz Tapado or Mushroom Ceviche to creative desserts like raw vegan brownies—we guarantee to have options that everyone will love.
La Llamita Vegana proudly serves the Philadelphia area including the Mainline, Bucks County, Chester County, Central Jersey, Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, and more. Whether you’re planning a small private gathering or a large corporate lunch for hundreds of people—our team is ready to make it happen! From birthday parties to weddings and office lunches—we’ll work to make your event unique.
You can also check our calendar and visit us in person on weekends at several farmers markets and events in Philly. We hope to see you soon!
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