
The Glasgow food spot that's a 'love letter to Colombia'
Ana says the food stall is more of a 'love story than a business story' and says she and Andres, who comes from Colombia, have the same dream to help people in South America and the Latin community in Glasgow.
READ NEXT: New restaurant opens in Southside bringing a taste of Algeria to Glasgow
The 41-year-old said: 'I've been working with asylum seekers and refugees since I've been in Scotland, but I've never had a charity or proper place to help them.
'We share the same vision, it's a business yes, we are starting something new because there are no Colombian places in Glasgow but the mission in the future is to create a charity or community for Latin people who are here.
'Then we want to help people in South America because we still have a lot of family there and they need clothes, food and money for education so our dream in the future is to create something so we can help our people.'
(Image: Robert Perry)
She added: "Colombian Bites is our love letter to Colombia and to the Latin spirit that lives in both of us – a small but powerful dream that we're so proud to share with the people of Glasgow."
(Image: Robert Perry)
Ana and Andres, who both moved to Scotland in July 2017 but met a year ago, first set up Colombian Bites in September last year for the Latin Fiesta Fest at SWG3.
Ana, who is a risk analyst and sings in Glasgow-based band Furor Tropical, has been involved with the city's Latin community since she moved here and runs the festival alongside Janet Durand.
Colombia Bites serves dishes such empanadas, tostadas and arepas, with Ana using her own recipes.
Ana was born in Uruguay and has lived in Italy and Spain but learned to cook Venezuelan and Colombian dishes, with Andres' family also now helping her.
(Image: Robert Perry)
READ NEXT: Critically acclaimed chef set to open second restaurant next month
Since being at The Barras, both Ana and Andres, who are raising three children between them, have been surprised by how many people are already familiar with Colombian culture and food and also how many people have roots in the country.
Ana said: 'It's not only about food.
'When people come to our stall, they share their experience, and we didn't know how many people there were in the city who have roots in Colombia.
'Many people know Colombian cities and they tell us they've been there and loved the food, so there's a link between Scottish and Colombian culture we didn't know about it and it's so surprising.'
She continued: 'It's had an amazing response.
'We've been sold out many weekends and we have long queues.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
38 minutes ago
- BBC News
Glasgow Mela draws big crowd to Kelvingrove Park
Scotland's largest South Asian festival drew more than 21,000 people to Kelvingrove Park on hailed crowds at the Glasgow Mela as "a sight to behold", with live music, art and workshops on offer throughout the also sampled food from around the world and tried their hand at a mix of sports including tennis, pickleball, kabaddi and was the 35th edition of the event, after it started in 1990 as part of Glasgow's European City of Culture celebrations. Bailie Annette Christie, chairwoman of organisers Glasgow Life, said: "Seeing thousands of people pack out Kelvingrove Park for the Glasgow Mela is always a sight to behold. "The 2025 Mela proved why Glasgow is known the world over as a diverse, multicultural city full of artistic talent. The Mela is a firm favourite in Glasgow's cultural events calendar and provides fantastic free performances and a fun day out for everyone."This year was particularly special as the spirit of Glasgow 850 was woven into the programme." Acts including Gtown Desi, Saloni and Maya Lakhani performed at the Mela, which means means "gathering" in aims to promote local artists and their rich cultural heritage, with funding provided by Creative Scotland.


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
X Factor's Lucy Spraggan breaks down in tears as she's forced to cancel run of shows
X FACTOR star Lucy Spraggan has been forced to cancel a handful of live shows after being struck down with illness. The ITV reality series alum, 33, looked understandably downcast as she took to her Instagram grid for a video to relay the sad news. 6 6 6 Lucy donned a black top and matching baseball cap, scraping her hair into an up-do underneath. She looked pale as she addressed her fans with tears in her eyes and said: "This is absolutely the last message I wanted to be putting out. "I woke up yesterday not feeling well, and today woke up feeling even worse and we've had to make the decision to reschedule the outstore shows this week. "Because my throat feels like its got razor blades in it and my nose is completely blocked. "Not just that it doesn't feel right to be signing things and hugging you cause I don't want you to feel this way either." Sheffield-born Lucy then choked up at the prospect of "letting people down." She then vowed they would reschedule the shows and said: "I'm really sorry to anyone that was coming to London, Leeds, Liverpool and Glasgow - I really really hope I'll get to see you when I do these shows soon." In the video, she confirmed they would be rescheduled to August. Fans were quick to support the Bodies singer in her tough time, and one wrote: "Hope you feel better soon! Look after yourself." A second put: "We love you Lucy! You're not letting anyone down most important thing is you feel better! rest up and I'll see you soon." Lucy Spraggan sings love song about new wife Emilia Smith A third mused: "Oh Luce, so sorry to hear this. You are what's most important. Get well soon," as another posted: "Oh Lucy. You can see how much this is breaking your heart. Hope you feel better soon lovely." Lucy was due to play at the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool tomorrow to kick-start her run of shows. STRONG BOND Meanwhile, in happier news, Sober songstress Lucy recently exclusively opened up to The Sun about her friendship with Simon Cowell, who she hails as "like a dad." So close is their bond that Simon played a pivotal role at her wedding to wife Emilia Smith last year. 'He read a poem at our ceremony, which was cute,' Lucy says. 'And he said to me, 'I love seeing you this happy'.' Lucy and Simon's surprising friendship blossomed in 2021, under less than happy circumstances. She was writing her memoir Process: Finding My Way Through - which dealt with the traumatic sexual assault she experienced while competing on The X Factor in 2012. Lucy was one of the favourites to win her series before she mysteriously dropped out of the competition during the live finals. At the time it was reported the then 20-year-old had quit due to illness, and while she went on to have some success as an artist, the question over what had really thwarted her X Factor journey was never fully answered. Then, two years ago, she opened up for the first time that she'd been a victim of a shocking sexual assault - bravely waiving her right to anonymity in the process. She'd been out celebrating friend and fellow X Factor contestant Rylan Clark 's birthday at swanky Mayfair nightclub Mahiki, and passed out after hours of boozing. Lucy was taken back to her hotel by a member of the X Factor production team and a hotel porter - but later that night, after Rylan had gone to check on her, the porter returned and used a key card to break into her room. The next day Lucy woke up feeling a 'sense of sheer dread'. She knew she'd been raped, but couldn't piece the rest of the night together. In the aftermath the police were called and the hotel porter was arrested. He was later jailed for 10 years, but was released and deported after three-and-a-half years. 6 6 6


The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘One kid at a time': How children's books on male friendship could combat toxic masculinity
This year's Carnegie medals for children's writing, awarded on Thursday, brought to light an unexpected trend. At a time of widespread public anxiety about the decline in boys' reading habits and the rise of the toxic influencers of the online 'manosphere', male friendship and masculinity were front and centre on the shortlist. The winner, Margaret McDonald's superb debut, Glasgow Boys, tells the story of the relationship between two looked-after children on the threshold of adulthood who process trauma in different ways. Banjo's aggression and Finlay's avoidance could be seen as two models of dysfunctional masculinity. Luke Palmer's Play, also on the shortlist, tells a story of male friendship which touches on rape culture and county lines drug gangs, while teenage gang membership is the focus of Brian Conaghan's Treacle Town. Nathanael Lessore won the Shadower's Choice medal (voted for by young readers). King of Nothing tells the story of Anton, a pre-GCSE hardman for whom reputation is everything. Anton hangs out with a thuggish crowd whose worldview is shaped by gang culture and Tate-like influencers. The arc of the plot – boisterously comic at first, but increasingly moving – shows how Anton's developing friendship with the uncoolest boy in the school changes his priorities. Though the books were judged for their individual qualities, the panel's chair, Ros Harding, observes a pendulum-swing in publishing. 'We've gone from children's adventure books, where it was always the boy as the hero, then there was a backlash against that, making sure that girls could be the heroes as well, which then maybe led to some boys feeling that things weren't being written for them.' Now, she says, 'another wave of books' is addressing that. McDonald says that in Glasgow Boys, she 'wanted to explore the spectrum of masculinity that both Banjo and Finlay exist on. Finlay is the more 'feminine' man who we perceive to be empathetic and introverted – a very gentle person. Banjo, conversely, is the 'masculine' boy: violent and aggressive.' 'People have been very curious as to why I have focused on two men when I'm not myself a man. But I don't think it would have been much of a question if I was a male author.' McDonald had a considerable struggle to get Glasgow Boys published – 60 agents and 20 publishers, she says, turned it down. Does she think that one factor was a reluctance to publish books about boys? She believes the book's use of Scots dialect (it comes with a glossary) was an issue, as was the fact she was submitting it during Covid. But the decline in boys' reading, she suggests, might have created a vicious circle in publishing. 'I think because there's such a small readership it's difficult, in a business sense, to cut out the bigger readership – which is girls and women.' Harding says her experience as a librarian is that most boys read more narrowly than most girls. 'A girl who likes reading will read anything. It doesn't matter whether it's a male protagonist or a female. Boys were just a little bit more resistant to that. I think they are more likely to want the male protagonist.' When McDonald hears feedback on the book, male readers 'often focus on Banjo and Finlay separately, whereas my female readers focus on the relationships. A lot of boys who read it will be like, 'I related to Finlay', or 'I relate to Banjo', whereas none of the girls read that way. So it suggests a little bit of a difference in the ways in which boys go into books.' The hope is that they go into books at all. The explosion in so-called toxic masculinity is taking place at the same time as statistics tell us that reading for pleasure, especially among boys, is on the decline. Novels are empathy machines: they invite you to imagine what it might be like to be somebody else. So they are, at least potentially, an antidote to the misogynistic influence of the manosphere and gaming culture. But it's precisely with social media and video games that they are competing for the attention of boys and young men. Lessore says his book was inspired in part by discovering 'my little nephew and my cousin – who were, I think, nine and 13 at the time – were both watching Andrew Tate videos'. He sees the long-term effects of that in school visits he does, to expensive private schools and 'very, very underfunded state schools' alike. Children self-segregate: boys on one side, girls on the other. 'Gay' is being used as an insult once more, and boys have so little respect for female teachers that they have to call over male staff to settle them. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Does Lessore feel confident he's talking to the young men that books like his need to reach, though, rather than just about them? 'I start every school visit with the statistics that teenagers who read more tend to [get] higher paid jobs as adults,' he says. 'That usually gets them sitting up a little bit in their seats.' In Anton's world, drawn from Lessore's own working-class south London background, he thinks boys can find something to relate to. 'Kids like that don't think they can be writers, and therefore they don't read – and therefore they don't get the empathy that can be learned from books.' Lessore's influence seems to work. 'Even the more disruptive boys on the school visit tend to, you know, barge their way to the front of the queue to get their book signed. It's a drop. But, yeah, like: one kid at a time, one school at a time.'