In the Bahamas, a popular dish eaten during holidays or special occasions is called ‘Peas and Rice’. My grandmother throughout all of my years was the only one that could make it right. The dish has simple ingredients but needs good technique to get it just right; enough fluffiness from the rice, adequate tomato flavor and the right proportion of Peas to Rice. Luckily, the key to mastering the dish is something common in many Bahamian households— a stove diffuser. Naturally, my grandmother had one, hers was old, with a janky wooden handle, and was scorched from resting on an open flame relentlessly. When I left the Bahamas, there were limited choices on essentials and a stove diffuser did not seem crucial. However, when my family and I came to New York it was one of the first kitchen appliances we bought to attempt to bring home here. From a young age, I have always been intrigued by how happy you can make people through cooking. That worn-out stove diffuser reminds me of how the simplest tools can be used to make things that benefit everyone. Just like how NYC consists of many little working parts to make this uplifting, bustling city. With every new opportunity I have gotten, I take it because I know I am a small part of making a big difference for everyone.

– Danielle A.

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child