Immigrants have left their mark on the great melting pot of American
cuisine, and they have continued working hard to keep America's kitchens
running, even during times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. For
some immigrant cooks, the pandemic brought home the lack of protection
for essential workers in the American food system. For others, cooking
was a way of reconnecting with homelands they could not visit during
periods of lockdown.
Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis is
a stimulating collection of essays about the lives of immigrants in the
United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, told through the
lens of food. It includes a vibrant mix of perspectives from
professional food writers, restaurateurs, scholars, and activists, whose
stories range from emotional reflections on hardship, loss, and
resilience to journalistic investigations of racism in the American food
system. Each contribution is accompanied by a recipe of special
importance to the author, giving readers a taste of cuisines from around
the world. Every essay is accompanied by gorgeous food photography, the
authors' snapshots of pandemic life, and hand-drawn illustrations by
Filipino American artist Angelo Dolojan.