A Chicago filmmaker’s journey of connecting and reuniting with her family

An interview with Von Diaz about her Cocina Criolla project.

For two guys who grew up in The Bronx, hearty meat dishes they learned from women in their families connect them to their immigrant roots.  John O’Connell and Richard Rodriguez are both hosts for About Men Radio.

O’Connell, the youngest of four boys, makes Irish beef stew, a recipe handed down from his grandmother to his mother, and then to him. “Actually when I think about Ireland,” he says,  “I think about the potato famine. Most of the Irish dishes have potatoes. So my Irish stew is loaded with potatoes and onions.”

For O’Connell, learning how to make this dish became a test to see if he was ready to leave his childhood home to live on his own. Here is his story, produced with the help of our friends at Cowbird. It’s called “If I can make that, maybe they’ll ease off.”

View more in this series Schooled By Their Mothers, These Men Carry on Family Recipes

For Richard Rodriguez sitting down to a family meal is a “sacred time.” Rodriguez, whose parents came from Puerto Rico, remembers Sunday dinners at his grandparents’ house of roast pork, rice and beans. Now he cooks for his own children and has taught them how to make some dishes. His story is called “Let those spices do their job.”

Fi2W is supported by the David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation, the Ralph E. Odgen Foundation, and the Nicholas B. Ottaway Foundation.

Cocina Criolla is back with a new video and a family recipe for chicharrones de pollo

We teamed up with About Men Radio and Cowbird to bring you these audio stories.

As part of her exploration of the Puerto Rican cookbook Cocina Criolla, Von Diaz takes on a simple dessert. But it’s not that easy without a machete.

Many who can’t go home recreate holiday traditions in the U.S.

Listen to Kathy Gunst on NHPR’s ‘Word of Mouth,” and Von Diaz on NPR’s Latino USA talking about Thanksgiving traditions and hybrids.

As part of her exploration of the Puerto Rican cookbook Cocina Criolla, Von Diaz takes on a daunting dish, stuffed beef tongue