Friday Friday Favs: La Casa Azul Nearer Than You Think

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Frida Kahlo grew up and passed away in Coyoacan, Mexico in a house painted blue called La Casa Azul, the blue house. La Casa Azul in now a museum dedicated to Frida’s life and artwork. Many business owners have been influenced by Frida that they named their business after La Casa Azul. Below are a few I found.

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Casa Azul Cantina is a authentic Mexican cuisine restaurant located in Westwood, CA. This is one of many dining locations owned by chef Vicente Del Rio and restauranteur of the FRIDA Restaurant Group. All these restaurants are influenced by Frida Kahlo. The FRIDA Restaurant Group includes FRIMEX HOSPITALITY GROUP, FRIDA TACOS, and FRIDA CATERING. According to Chef Vicente, Frida “was not just a great artist, but also a great cook.” Honoring the Mexican culture Frida loved Casa Azul Cantina is decorated with authentic art pieces. “There’s a large painted mural from Puebla, Mexico lining the back wall of the cantina,” states Tiffany Wang author of “Inside look at chef Vicente Del Rio’s Casa Azul Cantina.” The cantina is considered high end dining. Information obtained from TasteTerimal.com

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La Casa Azul Bookstore was an actual small store located on 103rd Street in New York. They sold books emphasizing Latino culture and titles. They hosted art shows and over 600 other cultural events, such as reading, workshops, exhibits and classroom visits. The shop unfortunately closed down in 2015 and only do business online.  Information obtained from dnainfo.com

Online store: http://www.lacasaazulbookstore.com

Here’s an interview done on Aurora Anaya-Cerda, founder of La Casa Azul Bookstore.

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La Casa Azul Coffee House is an on the go coffee shop "providing traditional organic coffees and teas from diverse cultural backgrounds” to the Redlands and San Bernardino area. They do not have a physical building. They sell their drinks at the Farmers Markets located in Redlands, CA, like the Grove Farmer’s Market. They also deliver if you live in the Redlands or San Bernardino area. Information obtained from their Instagram feed.

La Casa Azul Taco truck is located in the New York Botanical Garden on Bronx Park Rd. Last year when the New York Botanical Garden had a Frida Kahlo exhibit called, “Frida Kahlo: Art. Garden. Life.” (May 16 to Nov 1, 2015) many people continued their Frida Kahlo experience by dining at La Casa Azul Taco truck outside the museum.

Here’s a review on their food and service.

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Note: I left this next one for last because I couldn’t find out if it was actually influenced by Frida Kahlo and I couldn’t find any information on how they came up with their name. However, I still decided to add it to the list.

La Casa Azul Band, yes you read it right, is a Spanish indie pop band that combines many of the qualities of 1960s American pop bands like the Beach Boys and the 1970s European disco-pop acts, according to Wikipedia. The band came to be in 1997. The band consists of  five members, both female and male, though the lead singer is very well known compared to the rest of the members. The back up members literally remain in the background since their last names are unknown and they do not give interviews except for the lead singer. For more info on the band click here. Information obtained from Wikipedia.

Here's one of the music videos.

While researching businesses named “La Casa Azul” I noticed a few ended up closing. It is sad to see people try to follow their dream, mostly mom and pop businesses, and they do not end up making it. In my casa, my house, we are big supporters of mom and pop shops because they are people trying to keep their dream alive and most of the time they provide the best service and goods you’ll receive. 

Don’t forget, today is the last day to enter the “Frida” book giveaway. Click here for more information.

For more Frida Kahlo inspiration head over to The Morose Bee for another dose of Friday Frida Favs!