We had the good fortune of connecting with Barbara Aguilar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barbara, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?

The End of Food, by Thomas Pawlick
This book is so impactful and full of knowledge that it should be in the basic curriculum for every American to read. Most people have not one clue, nor seem to care what they are putting in their bodies, where it comes from, how it gets there or what was put into it. We have a severe epidemic of all sorts on the horizon because of what the normal every day American diet has become. Such diseases as dementia and cancer, to mental illness and the list goes on. There are too many people that I know who have had or currently have cancer, and many presently dealing with parents with dementia or other mental illnesses. For myself and my family we have my 55 year old brother with early-on-set dementia and another on skid row in LA with mental illness and addiction. Not to mention, diabetes, heart disease and numerous of other diseases and ailments the majority of the population are diagnosed with everyday.
Both my parents were born on ranches in Mexico. My mother’s side continues to occupy the land in Jalisco today, as a vineyard. For generations we grew our own food and lived off the land. So chapter 8 in particularly sticks out the most, ‘Think Locally, Fight Locally.’ When reading about an “escaped” GM corn in Mexico. I cried when I read that Durango was a state contaminated with this corn (maize) strain. Today before writing this, I took my father, born in Durango, to my grandparents plots in East Los Angeles. It reminded me what I was working hard for and what this book embodies, creating alternative food systems to overt corporate power systems. My grandparents brought my parents here for what they thought was a better life, but we were unknowingly detached from our land and therefore changing our way of life all together. Both grandparents had some sort of food or other horticulture growing in their backyards in East LA. My paternal grandparents also, like many of their neighbors, had chickens and roosters for eggs and meat. Bringing a bit of their old ways to their new homes.
This book definitely opened my eyes to the bigger picture of our food system and how it was captured by corporate greed. Communities need to take control of their food, keeping it local and the people informed and educated about their food. Food’s nutritional density will only come back with small farms utilizing sustainable practices such as regenerative agriculture. The next step for me is to continue the growth of The Hidden, so up next The Hidden Farm, coming 2026!

What should our readers know about your business?
Our shop encompasses all the warmth of nature inspired items for the home, garden and bath. We carry amazing plants, hand picked at the greenhouses by me. We offer fresh luxurious florals, as well as dried and silk florals. Offering custom arrangements, as well as a workbench you can reserve to curate your own masterpiece or I can lead a workshop for you. We offer workshops at our store, as well as at vineyards and other sites, such as vineyards. We also host local vendor markets in our plaza.
You buy it, we pot it! We also offer S.O.S. plant services for your ailing plants.
All natural bath and body products to get you away from all the store bought chemicals.
Coming soon, The Hidden Farm, 3 acres of fresh living for the community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Escondido wine scene is becoming quite the rage. A nice wine tour, hike at Dixon Lake and finish off with a nice dinner at Ventana restaurant, then hit up the Grand Comedy club for a laugh to end your day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is dedicated to all the hard farm workers. Without them, many would not have food on the tables.

Website: https://www.thehiddenescondido.com

Instagram: thehiddenesco

Image Credits
Credits on images where applicable. Otherwise images over 10 years old or of my own.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSoCal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.