Heritage, carried by hand
Bordeaux and Mediterranean memory meet Costa Rican fruit, cacao, weather and abundance—not as fusion for show, but as the way Isabella learned to cook.
Why we exist
Care should never
cost us pleasure.
Arvide exists because food can carry a family’s memory—and decide whether someone feels included at the table.
I am Isabella Arvide Zamora, a Costa Rican writer and the founder of Arvide&Co. My love for cooking began with the values I inherited from my family: care, generosity, respect for nature and the belief that food should bring people together.
My culinary roots reach from Bordeaux and the Mediterranean to the abundant landscapes of Costa Rica. Through my grandmother and great-grandmother, I learned the patience and craftsmanship of French cooking; from this country, I learned to follow fruit, cacao, rain, heat and season.
The purpose became personal when I watched my twin sister navigate allergies, restrictions and the quiet pain of being left out while everyone else ate freely. Gluten-free is no longer the identity of the brand, but that lesson remains: people deserve an honest conversation and thoughtful accommodation whenever our kitchen can provide it safely.
Arvide took shape in the mountains above Nosara, with jars changing quietly on one side of the kitchen and something sweet cooling on the other. Harvest and Bakehouse belong together because both ask for attention, good ingredients and faith in time.
A table that notices people
Watching her twin sister navigate allergies made exclusion impossible to ignore. Adaptation remains personal, careful and available by request.
Nosara, not as backdrop
The mountain, dry dust, green season, Pacific light and Tuesday feria keep the house local, awake and useful.
