In my family, one of the ways we say “I love you” is to ask, “Are you hungry?” Especially my great-grandmother. From my memories of the time she was with us to all the recountings I have heard from family, one thing I know for a fact is that my great-grandmother loved to cook. This distinct recipe, the lemon supreme cake, was her favorite. She would always find a reason to make it. Someone had a baby, someone got a new job. As soon as she heard that news, she would be in the kitchen with her floral apron on. I still distinctly remember the smell of her turning on her gas-powered oven, making anything from chicken pot pie with no carrots because she always remembered my grandfather, to my personal favorite, her vanilla sponge cake with lemon glaze that was simply to die for. There were dozens and dozens of recipes, all handwritten, all kept in a tin on top of the fridge. Some of them were used at the family restaurant, Brackens, which my family owned from 1978 to 2002 in a rural part of Alabama, where I am originally from. That restaurant was my family's dream when they moved to Alabama, and whenever I ask my grandma about running it, she says it was their American dream. This simple recipe highlights the opportunities America offers and how they can enable families to do anything, even open a restaurant. I miss her a lot some days, but when I have time, I pull down that old, rusted tin of recipes, pull out one, and bake it just to fill the house with a reminder of her. 

– AE

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more