Family recipes are a way to hold onto traditions, remember loved ones, and spend meaningful time together. Preparing food that has been passed down through generations allows families to slow down and reconnect.

Spanish teacher Norma Rios believes that family recipes are essential for keeping traditions alive. “I think the importance of family recipes is a way to make sure that you have traditions that you’ll carry on from generation to generation,” she said. Rios shared that after Thanksgiving, her family gathers to make tamales, a tradition that her grandmother started. “My mother‘s recipe is traditionally [made] right after Thanksgiving.”

Making tamales requires several family members to work together. For her, these moments in the kitchen are a chance to step away from the distractions of everyday life. “I think it’s a way to gather yourself in a busy world in a world that sometimes is disconnected or connected seemingly with social media, but not connected,” she added. Rios finds joy and shares these traditions with her children as it gives them a sense of belonging and comfort.

Junior David Ajuga finds that family recipes make holidays more special by bringing a piece of his African heritage into traditional American meals. “Turkey is the most traditional, but I usually don’t even eat that for Thanksgiving,” he shared. However, each family makes them a little differently. His family makes fried plantains and jollof rice. He believes there is unity in food “If you keep passing that down, joy will always be passed down.”

Junior Zerlene Taneg values her family recipes because they connect her to her Filipino roots. “Family recipes are really important to me, especially for my culture…because I’m Filipino, it’s a big thing in our culture, food and family,” she said. Her family recipe for chicken adobo, passed down from her grandmother, reminds her of loved ones who have passed away.

Family recipes bring everyone closer offering, not just food, but comfort, connection, and shared memories.