East Somerville’s Carolina Garcia and Carolina Salinas were recently honored by the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus at the 2024 Latino Excellence Awards. State Representative Mike Connolly nominated Ms. Garcia and Ms. Salinas for this recognition due to their commitment to the community, their leadership in the Somerville food scene, and for embodying the spirit of Somerville. Ms. Garcia and Ms. Salinas were recognized alongside other members of the Massachusetts Latine community on Friday, October 25, in the Great Hall of Flags at the State House in Boston.
Carolina Garcia was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She is the daughter of René Garcia and Dulce Caglianone, and the older sister of René, José, and Juan. Her love for collaborative work began formally during her undergraduate studies. She studied Communications at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello and then transitioned into audiovisual production, collaborating with magazines and public relations firms. She founded one of the first laser engraving companies in Venezuela, and in 2002, she invited Carolina Salinas to be her partner. Together, they developed a highly reputable company, CC Láser 424, affectionately known as "Las Carolinas." Nothing has pleased her more than being the mother of Augusto and Gabi. As a young mom, she pursued another passion—cooking sweets.
Carolina Salinas was also born in Caracas, Venezuela. She is the daughter of Eduardo Salinas and Hilda León de Salinas, and the eldest of three sisters. Her great passion lies in business and numbers. Before working at Venevisión, a commercial TV channel in Venezuela, she studied computing and dedicated herself to various ventures that allowed her to gain experience as a merchant and use financing resources to build capital for reinvestment in new ideas. Her two children, Eduardo and Gaby—both talented baseball and soccer players—are her greatest joy.
Collectively known as “Las dos Carolinas,” they met while both were pregnant with their daughters 28 years ago and have been inseparable ever since. They first founded a successful laser cutting business in 2002. Their sons, Augusto and Eduardo, grew up together playing baseball. Over the decades, their families grew closer through work, sports, and cooking, and their amazing friendship traveled from Venezuela to Somerville in 2015 when both immigrated here after their daughters finished high school. They refer to Somerville, the place where they’ve grown together, as “a perfect city at the right moment.” In 2016, they joined the Somerville Arts Council's Nibble program, introduced the arepa, and have embraced every opportunity since. "Las Carolinas, the dynamic duo," as Nibble first promoted them, opened their first restaurant location in 2019 at Aeronaut Brewing called Carolicious. This company, born in Venezuela and raised in New England, is dedicated to serving venezuelan food, specifically traditional venezuelan arepas with the addition of local flavors. They have now expanded from their first location at Aeronaut to MIT in Kendall and Bow Market in Union Square. Their food, which honors and celebrates their shared roots, now brings tastes of home to many places in Greater Boston.
“I am proud to welcome my constituents Carolina Garcia and Carolina Salinas to the State House to be officially recognized as distinguished leaders of the Latina community in the 26th Middlesex District,” said Representative Mike Connolly. “Thank you to Las dos Carolinas for all that you do to uplift immigrants, continue to put the Somerville food scene on the map, and for truly embodying the progressive values and spirit of our Somerville and Cambridge community.”
Remarks were offered by Zavon Billups, Caucus Executive Director; Representative Andy Vargas, Caucus Vice-Chair; Representative Bud Williams, Caucus Chair; Senator Liz Miranda; and Representative Carlos Gonzalez. The keynote address was given by Alejandra Castillo, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development in the Biden Administration and current Institute of Politics Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Other nominees from the Cambridge and Somerville delegation included Fidel Maltez (Senator DiDomenico), Dennis Benzan (Representative Decker), Gabriel Camacho (Representative Owens), and Ivan Abarca Torres (Senator Jehlen).
Created in 1973, the Caucus remains a voice for Massachusetts' communities of color in the Legislature. They seek to empower constituents to gain a deeper sense of political awareness on issues affecting them and their broader communities. The MBLLC’s 24 legislators remain dedicated to serving communities of color throughout the Commonwealth through legislative, budgetary, and community endeavors.
