Immigrants’ Family Recipes Cook Up Literacy Through Cuisine

Home-cooked food took top billing alongside English learning at the McKinley Park neighborhood’s Aquinas Literacy Center, where immigrants used new language skills to describe their families’ favorite recipes and their preparation.

Part of the center’s Food, Stories & Home program, the delicious dishes came together over four sessions in May 2026.

The program “was created to celebrate the knowledge, traditions and experiences that participants bring with them from around the world,” said Program Director Patrick Santoro.

Maria Orozco presents her Chicken Tinga at the Food, Stories & Home program at Aquinas Literacy Center. “By sharing recipes and personal stories, learners practice English, build relationships and strengthen their sense of belonging,” Santoro said.

Secret Ingredient

“The secret ingredient is chipotle,” Maria Orozco said of her recipe for Chicken Tinga served on tostadas.

“It reminds me of my childhood,” she said, especially memories of her family’s Christmas celebrations.

Family Recipe

Sylvina Lopez likewise tied her Birria de Res dish to family traditions.

The hand-drawn Golfeados recipe is part of the Food, Stories & Home program at Aquinas Literacy Center. “I do this recipe with my family,” Lopez said. “All the family gets together and eats together.”

Cook the Recipes

Food, Stories & Home is part of Aquinas Literacy Center’s Resilient Community Initiative, Santoro said, “which seeks to foster a more connected, welcoming and resilient community through learning, dialogue and mutual support.”

Cook and enjoy the following family recipes from program participants:

• Birria de Res (Beef Birria) by Sylvina Lopez
• Chilaquiles Verdes by Nancy Aquilara
• Golfeados by Wendy Delgado
• Quesadillas de Atole de Leche by Obdulia Vega

Food, Stories & Home participants stand with class instructor Novina Pagone, second from left, and Program Director Patrick Santoro, fourth from left.