Erika is the proud daughter of Paraguayan immigrants, raised in a home where culture, resilience, and deep community ties shaped every part of life. For over two decades, she committed herself to grassroots organizing and political work—fighting for immigrant rights, education justice, and the kind of change that comes from collective power and deep love for community.

After years of giving everything to the movement, including a run for public office in Philadelphia, Erika reached a breaking point. The pace of constant action caught up with her, and in choosing to slow down, she began a powerful journey of healing. She lost over 100 pounds, reconnected with the land by growing her own food, and embraced ancestral food traditions that nourished both body and spirit.

That shift wasn’t a departure from her values—it was a return to them. A return to home. Today, Erika continues her commitment to justice through a different lens: one that centers wellness, cultural memory, and the rituals that ground us. From baking sourdough—masa madre—to sharing yerba mate in the way her family does in Paraguay, Erika is leaning into the practices that have sustained her lineage for generations.

She proudly carries the title of tía today, a natural extension of the way she’s shown up in the world her entire life. Whether as a daughter of immigrants, an older sister, a stepmom, a mentor, or a community organizer, Erika has always been a nurturer—offering care, guidance, and warmth in ways that are both soul-deep and culturally rooted. That spirit of tending to others now lives at the heart of everything she creates.

This next chapter is about holding space for others to rest, heal, and reconnect with what matters most. Through her cultural brand Tía Erika’s, she’s building something rooted in joy, tradition, and community care. While the brick-and-mortar café is still on the horizon, Erika continues to show up—with bread, stories, and love—for anyone ready to walk this journey with her.