About This Stamp
With the release of the Delicioso Forever® stamps, the U.S. Postal Service® celebrated the influence of Central and South American, Mexican, and Caribbean foods and flavors on American cuisine. This booklet of 20 stamps featured six dishes from an array of Latin American culinary traditions that have found new life and variations in the United States.
The Delicioso stamps feature bright and playful illustrations of tamales, flan, sancocho, empanadas, chile relleno, and ceviche. The booklets include four of the tamales and flan designs and three of each of the other designs. The names of the six dishes appear in a festive font above each mouthwatering image. Each illustration was created by applying multiple layers of acrylic paint to textured boards, using sandpaper to reveal the hidden layers and give the designs a worn, vintage look.
As unique as the many cultures these dishes represent, every one of these foods vary in preparation and consumption based on who makes and eats them. While ingredients and cooking methods depend on location and availability, the feelings associated with a comforting meal transcend all boundaries and variations.
Artist John Parra designed the stamp artwork under the direction of Antonio Alcalá.
The Delicioso stamps were issued as Forever stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director and Typographer
Antonio Alcalá
Antonio Alcalá served on the Postmaster General’s Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 2010 until 2011, when he left to become an art director for the U.S. Postal Service's stamp development program.
He is founder and co-owner of Studio A, a design practice working with museums and arts institutions. His clients include: the National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Phillips Collection, and Smithsonian Institution. He also lectures at colleges including the Corcoran College of Art + Design, SVA, Pratt, and MICA.
In 2008, his work and contributions to the field of graphic design were recognized with his selection as an AIGA Fellow. He has judged international competitions for the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, AIGA, and Graphis. Alcalá also serves on the Smithsonian National Postal Museum and Poster House Museum’s advisory councils. His designs are represented in the AIGA Design Archives, the National Postal Museum, and the Library of Congress Permanent Collection of Graphic Design.
Alcalá graduated from Yale University with a BA in history and from the Yale School of Art with an MFA in graphic design. He lives with his wife in Alexandria, Virginia.
Stamp Artist and Designer
John Parra
John Parra’s artistic journey began as a child growing up in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by his Hispanic heritage, he drew scenes and people he encountered in day-to-day life.
In 1997, Parra graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and began working as a freelance illustrator. In the years since, his clients have included Chronicle Books, Boston Children’s Hospital, PBS, National Geographic, United Airlines, and Penguin Random House. Parra particularly enjoys his work as a children’s book illustrator.
With an artistic style that combines the aesthetics of both Mexican and American folk art, Parra’s colorful designs capture the vibrancy and diversity of his subjects. His artwork has been exhibited throughout the United States and South America.
When he’s not working on a new illustration, Parra expresses his creativity through his love of acoustic and electric guitars — a lingering passion from his halcyon days as an amateur punk musician.
Parra lives and works in Queens, New York. Delicioso is Parra's first project for the U.S. Postal Service®.