My name is Celia, daughter of Celia, granddaughter of Celia. I am a first generation Cuban-American, born in New York, currently residing in Los Angeles.

This is a blog about my journey learning to cook Cuban food.

I was fortunate to grow up in a household that included my mother’s parents. My grandmother, Mama (Celia I) ruled our kitchen. My mother, (Celia II, aka Celita, -which means “Little Celia”) happily relinquished any and all sovereignty of the kitchen kingdom. She and my grandfather, Carlos (aka Koki) did all the grocery shopping. Sometimes they would take me and my sisters with them, on excursions to Bergenline Avenue in Union City, NJ, the closest Cuban/Latin market in the area. They would purchase items like plantains, pork rind, special Cuban crackers, salt cod, & guava paste. Then we would eat at a Cuban cafeteria, and I can still remember the smell of the hot trays of food in line and the taste of sweet plantains and moros y cristianos with bits of roast pork strewn in. After we returned home and the unpacking of the groceries was over, Koki would retreat, and Mama would begin the preparation of our dinner. Every night we ate dinner together as a family and it was something special and good. Food was always important in our home.

As I grew up and moved into my own little apartment in Manhattan, I found myself wanting a taste of home. So I would call Mama for recipes to recreate these Cuban dishes for my friends, who were my new extended family. It was such a joy to share the tastes of my childhood with them.

When I moved to Los Angeles, I continued to call Mama for recipes, and wanting to expand my repertoire beyond the few dishes I mastered. Every Sunday we would talk, chatting about receipes and the best way to make them. Eventually, on one of my trips back home, she gave me a copy of her go to cookbook, La Cocina Criolla by Nitza Villapol, which is the essential Cuban cookbook-it’s like our Joy of Cooking. I would pour over the book, trying to figure out which recipe to try out first. But I always preferred consulting with Mama.

Mama passed away in 2009 at the ripe age of 103. I miss her everyday. Especially on Sundays.

My goal is to continue my path of exploration of Cuban cookery that began with Mama. I’m currently at the culinary skill level of a beginner/moderate home cook, yet I am bold in the kitchen and will try anything. Armed with Cocina Criolla and having Cuban friends/relatives to call on, I will go forth and learn all that I can about the rich world of Cuban Cuisine.