Matilde Sanchez has been a cook her entire life. She has made dishes for her family since age thirteen. She was the eldest sibling, and she prepared breakfast and lunch for her brother and sister whenever their mother left for town to buy rice, fish, or more plantain in the Dominican Republic. She first learned how to cook from emulating her mother, Altagracia.
Sanchez recalls some nights when Altagracia would announce the evening dinner to the kids by asking, “Quien quiere avena?” as a playful offer. “Who wants oatmeal?” All the children in the house would shout back, “Yo!” They would say. “Me!” With their hands raised high like eager school kids. Matilde’s hand was always raised the highest.
Matilde now lives in Delaware as a cook at a Rehoboth Beach Mexican restaurant. She got the job several years ago through the reference of a friend. She was already accustomed to cooking Latino cuisines, so mastering the menu did not take long. One of her favorite parts of the job was that she could speak to her boss in Spanish. “El inglés es difícil para mí,” she said. “English is difficult for me.”
Matilde immigrated to the United States December of 2003 at age 32 with her three daughters ages eight, seven, and two. She planned to meet up with her husband, Daly, who had been living in New York for months. She sat on the plane devastated. The Dominican Republic hit a sudden economic downfall in the early 2000s. Only a few years before Matilde was the mother of two private-school girls and the wife of a property developer. She did not know her life would change forever.
She arrived at the John F. Kennedy early morning and was greeted by crisp winter winds and sprinkles of snow. She felt this new world was a snow globe that every American kid had in their home. The blizzard was a sight, and so were the gringos. The airport bustled with rushing Americans. They hastily pushed past each other heading to their own destinations with eyes glaring forward. It was all so intense. Matilde could only spot a few that looked like her over the masses. She couldn’t wait to see her husband.
Her uncle Carlos, who lived in Long Island, picked her up. She was so glad to see him. They kissed the air while they hugged. He dropped her off in the Bronx so she could see Daly. He was happy to see his girls. The youngest daughter didn’t recognize him. It took her a couple of days to realize it was her dad.
Five years later, they moved to Virginia, and then a year afterward moved to Delaware, and Matilde has been living here ever since. She has cooked for her family all those years and has perfected her craft.
Matilde has been working at Rehoboth for seven years now as the sous chef. She still enjoys cooking, and is fortunate for her new life in America. Her daughters are reaching places she knows they would not have if they had grown up in the rural Dominican Republic like she did. Her children’s success is her American Dream. She loves dropping her daughter every Tuesday and Thursday morning at Delaware State University. Recently, she told her daughter she couldn’t wait to buy the university attire for the family at the school store.
“Estoy viviendo tu sueño contigo.” She told her daughter, Dalianny, “I am living your dream with you.”
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