Calling all contributors: please submit your recipes to Garland's new Latino Heritage cookbook

Can you guess what dish this is? What's it called? And from what country it came? The recipe for Chicken Mole
has been furnished by a Garland citizen for the new Latino Heritage cookbook.

When Kay and I traveled to West Africa more than a decade ago for a two-week stay in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), our favorite restaurant there turned out to be a Tex-Mex place that served up some of the best tacos, tamales, enchiladas, tortillas, as well as rice and beans that we've ever eaten. Their salsa was to die for!

I thought about that experience recently as we and other directors of Friends of Garland's Historic Magic 11th Street began work on our Next Big Project, a Garland Latino Heritage cookbook that not only will provide tasty recipes provided by some of Garland's greatest cooks but also stories that tell of how Garland 's thriving Hispanic community grew from one family in 1928 to become at some 94,000 the largest single people group in our city—edging ahead of our Anglo population in recent years.

That first Hispanic family, the Valles, lived about four blocks east of Magic 11th Street on West Avenue C at Santa Fe. Their children, some of whom were prominent Garland High School athletes and popular students, walked through the Travis College Hill Neighborhood on their way to and from school, often taking some of their Anglo classmates home with them for lunch. 

One doesn't have to travel to Africa, South America, or any other continent to find superb Latino cooking. It's right here in Garland, probably being cooked next door or a few doors away from you. Some of it is produced in our favorite Garland restaurants; the vast majority is served in homes where Latino cooks rely on recipes from "back home", meaning all the countries of Central and South America as well as Spain and the islands of the Caribbean—and of course Mexico. To think of Latinos as only from Mexico is to do them and ourselves a disservice.

If current trends continue, Garland eventually will become a majority Latino community. Our Garland Independent School District student population is already now more than half Latino students. A push is on to bring our teachers, our principals, and other school-staff personnel in parallel alignment with this changing student demographic.

As I've said many times in many ways, it's high time Garland started paying more attention to this important group of citizens, parents, students, workers, business people, and friends in our community. They are, after all, our neighbors, our co-workers, our classmates, our spouses, and though too often invisible in the public arena, an important part of our community.

What better way to get to know one another than to start writing down the names, histories, and recipes of the Latino people who have moved here from every Latino country encircling the globe.

Why would Friends of Garland's Historic Magic 11th Street want to produce a cookbook/history book like this that shares the culture and heritage of Garland's Latino citizens? It's an outgrowth of our mission statement. We are in step with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, of which I am a twice-over "Diversity Scholar". The National Trust is pushing rapid-fire to move historic preservation away from its "Anglos-only, British Isles-focused" tradition to a movement that truly reflects and represents the wide array of backgrounds of all the American people who built this great nation of ours.

The British, Irish, and Scots were an important part of our American history, but so were the French, the Spanish, the Russians, the Chinese, the Mexicans, the Africans, and people from every other country on the globe that we call Earth. Some arrived earlier here than others. All contributed to the fabric of what makes America the outstanding nation that it has been and remains today.

The same thing could be said of Garland's wide-ranging diversity, too.

The Magic 11th Street directors also desire to celebrate Garland's history using creative and new means, such as the musical Becoming Garland Avenue which debuted to a sell-out and dedicated crowd last April 13 at Garland's Plaza Theatre. We want to reach and educate more people about Garland's wonderful, rich history and growth—more than can ever be reached through simply lectures, sites, and saving old structures.

And we want YOU to be a part of our upcoming project, Garland's first Latino Heritage Cookbook.

Help us celebrate Garland's Latino Heritage by contributing to this keepsake cookbook

Who may contribute? Anyone who is a Garland resident, has lived in Garland, has grown up in  Garland, works in Garland, or is connected to Garland by marriage or by business interest.

What to contribute? Any recipe that represents a part of your Latino culture. It could be a recipe that's been passed down through generations of one family or something that your own nuclear family enjoys serving. It could reflect your Latino heritage or be as traditional to the U.S. as broccoli-cheese casserole.

How to contribute? You may type it out in an email or attach it to an email, you may photograph it and email the image, you may photograph it and send it in a text message, or you may notify us and we'll stop by your home or business and pick it up.

How many recipes to contribute? As many as you wish.

What types of recipes? We're looking for appetizers, salads, entrees, sides, desserts, or breakfast foods.

Submitting a recipe for the Latino Heritage Cookbook is as simple as this! Take a camera shot of it and attach it to an email or text.

What will be done with the recipes? The recipes will be compiled into a handsome cookbook that will contain photos, stories, and the recipes themselves. We're asking contributors to include one or two sentences that describe the origin of the recipe and any kind of story behind it (where it was served, special ingredients, how it came to be in your family).

What will happen to the cookbook? It will feature an attractive cover and be printed in a quality way. It will be for sale at a nominal fee so Garlandites and others may purchase the cookbook for themselves or to give as gifts.

What will happen to the proceeds? Proceeds from the book are largely used to pay for the cost of printing and producing the cookbook. Any funds leftover will be used to in some way to help preserve Garland's Latino history in a tangible way, perhaps through a marker.

How will the cookbook's release be observed? The nonprofit organization plans a large celebration that will be community-wide and open to all. It will be held in a central location that has great meaning to Garland's Latino community. At the celebration contributors to the cookbook will be asked to prepare a dish from their recipe included in the book. It will be a large bring-a-dish event honoring Garland's Latino community.

We envision a product and an event that are truly Garland, through and through—a free-enterprise grassroots effort that will inspire, motivate, and enhance Garland residents of Latino as well as other heritages.

Let's celebrate this important part of our Garland community. Please join us!

Write us at friendsofgarlandsmagic11thstreet@yahoo.com. Or view our Magic 11th Street Facebook page or our Becoming Garland Avenue Facebook page and contact us through means listed on those pages. When available, I'll let you know when our Garland Latino Heritage Cookbook Facebook page is up and running, too.

In the comment section for this blog or through email, send us your phone number or email address. I'll let you know the phone number where to send your recipe, photo, and information.

Step up today. Join us in this fascinating new adventure to help build community for our city and our people.