What started as a cookbook has evolved into a powerful tool to change the conversation about immigration. “Cocina Libre: Immigrant Resistance Recipes” shares the meaningful recipes and personal stories of immigrants who now call Denver their home.
“It’s taken a life of itself,” said co-author Dr. Julia Roncoroni, a professor at the University of Denver who co-authored the book with her husband, Dr. Delio Figueroa. “We didn’t plan for a lot of what we are seeing happen but it’s cool and I think for us this is very much who we are.”
For many years, Roncoroni and Figueroa have taught immigration, social justice and human rights classes, which has made “Cocina Libre” a professional and personal interest because they are both immigrants themselves.
Roncoroni is originally from Argentina and Figueroa is from Puerto Rico. Together they began the cookbook out of their love for immigrants and desire to create a medium for immigrants to share their stories. They were able to put the book together and complete every step of the self-publishing process thanks to a grant from the University of Denver.
“When you self-publish a book, you make more money, and because all the money is going to Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition we wanted to maximize the proceeds, but that meant we were the 4 a.m. editor [and] the 11 p.m. graphic designer; it was quite the process and a steep learning curve since we have never done anything like it,” Roncoroni said.
Sitting in the courtyard of Tonantzin Casa de Café in the Santa Fe art district, Roncoroni and Figueroa reflect on their experience entering the participants’ homes and learning new cultural practices.
Roncoroni and her family learned a lot from this experience, from how to cut onions to eating without utensils. They navigated their experience by asking questions, and while some participants wanted to accommodate their guests, they politely declined because they wanted to fully experience their culture and respect their practices.
Roncoroni described their experience as a gift that will continue to stay with them. “For me it’s a privilege,” Figueroa said. “For someone to open up and invite us to their house, it’s a privilege and a learning experience.”
Since its debut, the cookbook has made headlines and prompted readers to ask what more can be done to further its mission of aiding participants and the immigrant community.
Roncoroni and her husband, Figueroa, a music teacher in Adams County, turned “Cocina Libre” into a social enterprise. They now collaborate with participants to provide cooking classes and diversity, equity and inclusion workshops to empower chefs and promote financial stability. They hope that this will raise awareness and foster community.
“We started feeling the weight of the stories and wanting to communicate them in a different way—so, then came the mini-documentary,” Roncoroni said. “As we were releasing the documentary, we did dinners at DU; the seats for the dinners went to pay the chefs and the remainder of the proceeds went to Vive Wellness.”
The cookbook features 29 participants from all over the world—Ukraine, Afghanistan, Guatemala and Mexico, to name a few. These individuals were asked to share recipes close to their hearts, along with a story they would like to tell. The intimate stories shared are a glimpse into their lives and resilience.
“We wanted them to choose something that they felt comfortable doing, knowing that participating in a book can be remote from what they normally do,” Roncoroni said. “From what they have shared, it was an empowering process—some people have said, ‘I didn’t think my story mattered,’ especially very recent newcomers.”
Many of the participants were and are in the food industry. Alongside “Cocina Libre,” they are leading cooking classes and private dinners. Roncoroni received emails requesting the chefs cook for their personal events, such as birthday parties or cooking classes with a group of friends.
“There’s so much need to support immigrants and this is a way to keep supporting the chefs,” Roncoroni said. “Cocina wouldn’t be what it is without people showing interest, support and showing up at events– just doing this with us.”
In the future, Roncoroni and Figueroa intend to continue their work with immigrants, offering cooking classes and dinners. Within their work, they hope to continue having these conversations in intimate settings and helping the chefs gain independence so they can establish their own food businesses.
With further funding, they would like to create another cookbook and documentary. Currently, they will continue the conversation across the state with presentations. On September 21, Roncoroni will be at the Smiley Library Branch from 2 to 3 p.m. to share the story of a participating chef and a sample dish from the book.
While the influx of newcomers has decreased in the city of Denver, Roncoroni believes the topic of immigration should continue to stay relevant because there is still so much to be done to help immigrants navigate barriers found when migrating to a new country. According to Roncoroni, talking to others about current events and exposing ourselves to realities that aren’t our own can help build community and keep the conversation going.
“This is a conversation that we really need to be having within our city and our state,” Roncoroni said.“To me, it’s concerning. I’m glad that some people have integrated into communities but I don’t think the problem is resolved. I think we are far from where we want to be and so to us, that’s where “Cocina” comes in. When we do the dinners, we don’t just cater; it’s more about food plus the story so we can continue to have these conversations that are very uncomfortable and difficult. It’s one way to be able to support.”