The Pico Princess: How a Mom’s Love-Fueled Pico de Gallo Became a Local Sensation

Article by Janna Tamargo | Photography by Christina Block | Published May 8, 2025

When Veronica Joy Didelot first began making pico de gallo, she wasn’t trying to start a business, she was just trying to feed her family. I first met her at an Edible magazine launch event, where her warmth and enthusiasm about pico instantly stood out. Later, I stumbled across her Instagram and saw what she calls “the most authentic Tex-Mex pico, guacamole, and pinto beans.” I had to know more. So I reached out, and we caught up for a conversation about motherhood, hustle, and how pico turned her into a full-blown local sensation.

“My husband was smoking a brisket for a party,” she says. “And he told me, ‘We have to have pico.’ I didn’t even really know how to make it.” So she did what many of us do when faced with culinary pressure: she called her mom.

With tips from her mother, critiques from her dad, and input from a family friend named Patty, Veronica created something that not only impressed guests but sparked years of encouragement: You should sell this.

Still, she brushed it off. “Who’s going to buy pico in San Antonio? Everyone makes their own.” But life had other plans. When her family relocated to Florida, she found herself home with her children, looking for community and purpose. So, she did what came naturally. She made pico. Lots of it.

She brought batches to the pool, to the gym, to school events, just to share. One day, a woman at the gym refused to take it for free again. “She put money in my hand and said, ‘You need to start selling this.’” Veronica went home, turned to her husband, and said, Maybe I can make money making pico. His response? I’ve been telling you that for years.

That was the spark. The journey since then hasn’t been a straight line. There were bumps and many of them, logistical, emotional, and financial. But Veronica is grounded in faith and family, and she credits both with keeping her going. “We prayed on every step,” she says. “And every door that was supposed to open, opened.”

In March 2023, she officially sold her first container of The Pico Princess pico de gallo. Just 40 days later, it landed on the shelves of Native Sun Natural Foods Market in Jacksonville Beach.

Today, her signature pico is joined by a best-selling creamy guacamole (and yes, it’s really creamy). But behind every container is a commitment to care and craft that shows up in the details like her hand-sorted pinto beans. It’s a quiet ritual she shares regularly on Instagram, where followers find themselves unexpectedly mesmerized by the rhythm of her sorting, one bean at a time. These small, deliberate acts reflect the heart of her approach: honoring food as a meaningful, lived experience.

Her story is filled with the kind of detail only a mother could tell: struggling to perfect the recipe on a tight budget, chopping vegetables during free times, taking products to farmers markets while juggling school pickups and drop-offs.

“My whole life, my mom would tell me, ‘Veronica, just make the guacamole,’” she says. “Now everyone tells me how buttery it tastes and that’s exactly how I like it.”

But The Pico Princess is about more than salsa and guac. It’s about feeding people with intention. “I don’t know how to make a little bowl of pico,” she jokes. “I make 15 quarts because I feed people like a mom.”

This Mother’s Day, we celebrate women like Veronica who absolutely pour love into every chop, every mix, every bite. Her story is proof that a mother’s kitchen can be the start of something bigger than she ever imagined.

You can find The Pico Princess at Native Sun, local farmers markets in Northeast Florida, or follow her story on Instagram @thepicoprincessjax.