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Foods like street tacos and stir fry pack the @sabordenuevayork page on Instagram. The images are paired with detailed captions in both English and Spanish, offering reviews and information on cultural foods in central New York.

“I wanted people to hear about places that didn’t really have an online presence, especially drawing on my Puerto Rican heritage,” Jessica Gorman, the founder of the page, said.

Gorman started the Instagram page with one of her close friends, Tomás Quezada, in May 2022. Born and raised in central New York, Gorman’s always appreciated food from local restaurants and family recipes. She highlights spots like the Syracuse Inner Harbor and Mi Casa Grande on her page and reviews dishes for her followers.

Though Gorman was raised by her bilingual Puerto Rican mother, she didn’t grow up speaking Spanish. Starting this page wasn’t just a way to connect with her culture through food, but also practice the language in her reviews.

In each post, she details the restaurant dish and her ratings in English and Spanish. Gorman stressed the importance of the bilingual aspect of the account to reach Latino audiences. Over the past three years, Gorman nurtured her love for food and furthered her knowledge of Spanish.

Quezada said Gorman initially would go to him for help with Spanish translations, but has since improved without help from him or her mother. Since then, she’s transformed the page to fit her vision, Quezada said.

“It’s been super cool to watch her learn Spanish and be able to use that and share it with the public,” Meghan Memmelaar, Gorman’s sister, said.

Quezada and Gorman first met around 17 years ago at Onondaga Community College and have since been close friends, encouraging each other’s endeavors. Quezada said how Gorman’s supportive nature and willingness to jump into something new led to their collaboration on @sabordenuevayork.

The two often had dinner together, and decided to share their passion for food with others. Quezada is from Laredo, Texas and grew up surrounded by his Mexican culture, so he easily connected with Gorman over their backgrounds and love for cultural foods.

“Our favorite cuisines are from our homelands,” Quezada said. “Seeking out these kinds of cuisines, it reminds us of our family’s dinners and dishes that they’ve cooked.”

Many people believe in the Northeast that there’s no good Mexican food in New York state, Quezada said. Challenging that is something that inspired the two to start the page.

Quezada said people label the foods they have found as “almost there,” but not exceptional. Gorman and Quezada said they’ve found places that may not be perfect, but are still worth trying and showcasing.

“It’s not my mom’s arroz con pollo, but it’s a damn good arroz con pollo,” Quezada said.

Gorman ties in family recipes on her page. She regularly enjoys cooking her own dishes, pulling from recipes she finds online or ones she grew up with. They range from dishes like birria tacos to blueberry french toast. Memmelaar reminisced on eating the Puerto Rican dish piñon while growing up in her and Gorman’s household.

While one of her main goals is to dive into her Puerto Rican background, Gorman has also connected with the range of cultural foods in the region. Multiple global cuisines are featured on her page, ranging from Italian to Vietnamese. One day she might feature cheesesteaks and another she features pho.

Much of the page’s aim is to put a spotlight on spots that aren’t as well known. Some of the most authentic Latin foods in the area can be found in unexpected spots, like pizza places or food trucks, Quezada said.

Memmelaar often accompanies Gorman on her trips to local restaurants. In the past couple years, the community has grown and offers more Latin foods differing in style and region, Memmelaar said.

Through her work on the Instagram page, Gorman has also gone to Yelp tastings and connected with other creators, like cookbook author Rick Martinez Quezada said they’ve followed some of his recipes along with other niche creators’ on YouTube to make and post on the page.

Because of the page’s local focus, Gorman hopes to continue branching out into surrounding cities, like Binghamton, Ithaca and Buffalo. She thinks it’s important to represent different areas and support underrepresented restaurants. Focusing on central New York allows the page to connect with the community and utilize the resources nearby, Quezada said.

“I definitely want to collaborate more with local businesses and help them out,” Gorman said. “I hope that the page grows in people who follow it and engage in the content.”

Published on April 29, 2025 at 8:45 pm