Healthy Traditions in the Kitchen

How an Allentown grandmother is keeping them alive

From ceiling to floor, the living room in Ines Matamoros’ Allentown home is filled with photos. They display what she is most proud of: her family, especially her six grandchildren. “My three children are adults and live busy lives,” says Matamoros, 59. “I want to help them raise their children. My job is not over yet.”

One of this grandmother’s most important “jobs” is family chef. Her grandchildren—Ayeisha, 13, Jorge and Stephen, 11, Samantha, 7, Makalya, 4, and Alexandra, 16 months— love the ethnic food she prepares, especially her vegetable soup. “It’s a great way for them to get their vegetables without a fight,” Matamoros laughs.

Besides healthy eating habits, she also uses her kitchen to share ethnic traditions and life lessons with her grandchildren. “I teach them the Spanish words for the foods we’re preparing,” she says. “I want them to speak some Spanish, understand our culture and keep family traditions alive.”

It’s working. When the hungry youngsters stop by for some home cooking, the first thing they yell is “Abuela!” (Spanish for “grandmother”).

A native of Colombia, Matamoros also tells her grandchildren how lucky they are to live in the United States. “I want them to know that many people in Colombia don’t have enough food,” she says. “If my grandchildren don’t like a certain food or waste it, I tell them they should be thankful for what they have.”

Since the recent death of her husband, Carol, Matamoros has found that the time she spends with her grandchildren is therapeutic. “When I’m with them, I’m not thinking about my husband and getting depressed,” she says. “They keep me young and keep me busy.”

Busy she is. Outside the kitchen, Matamoros works full-time at a textile company. She’s also the family “taxi driver.” Whether she’s taking Ayeisha to dance practice, Jorge to the bowling alley or everyone to church, she loves spending time with her family’s youngest generation. “My happiest times are when my family is together,” she says. “To me, that’s what is most important.”

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