Meet Esther
Made with love in Utrecht, rooted in Monterrey.
I’m Esther Rodríguez, originally from Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. Food has always been close to my heart. In 2014, I moved to the Netherlands to complete a Master of Science in Food Technology at Wageningen University, and I have worked in the food industry as a professional food product developer ever since.
For five years I was happily vegan. Then I became a mother, and found myself craving the dishes I grew up with—the flavours of home that feel especially meaningful when home is far away. Cooking them for my own family brought that connection back.
It also made me understand, very personally, how difficult it can be to combine a full-time job, family life and putting something varied and delicious on the table every evening. Hola Meals! grew from that reality: thoughtfully developed food for busy households, a different menu every week, and always one authentic Mexican dish sharing a little piece of my home.
Sustainability matters deeply to me, but I also know that food choices have to work in real family and social life. My own experience taught me both the value of plant-based eating and the challenges of making it fit everyday life. Hola Meals! is not about one way of eating: it brings together meat, vegetarian and plant-based dishes, with care for nutrition, flavour, seasonality and a lighter footprint where possible. Above all, I want nutritious, sustainable and genuinely delicious food on my family’s table—and yours—rooted in the Mexican heritage I am proud of, especially the flavours of Monterrey, Nuevo León.