My mother is a first generation American. Her mother was born in Italy and her father is from Scotland. Her mother spoke little to no English when she had come to the United States at the age of 18 and had to learn to survive and adapt to American culture on her own in the heart of NYC. One thing my grandmother never left behind was her amazing recipes and great homemade cooking of Italy. Growing up my grandmother always made an amazing Sunday sauce. Every Sunday at my grandmother’s house she always told all my cousins and I that she never used another recipe for marinara sauce. She slaved over a giant pot of red tomatoes and a mix of seasonings for hours on hours making sure everything came out amazing. She told us about her troubles growing up and how difficult it was due to her povertous situation but her mother’s cooking was always a safety net for her. She said her mother’s amazing cooking always made a bad day better and made the promise to be able to do the same for her children as her mother did for her. 
 

– SOPHIA SCHUSTER

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant