Philadelphia photographer Cielito Mercado Vivas creates cookbook preserving immigrant family recipes

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Drawing inspiration from stories of immigrants, family and food, Philadelphia photographer Cielito Mercado Vivas has turned her lens toward the kitchen to create a new cookbook that aims to preserve cultural traditions.

“Everyone has something favorite of their mom or dad, I know I did too,” she said.

Born to Filipino immigrant parents and raised in Andorra, Vivas is a professional photographer who shifted her focus from portraits to plates.

Her upcoming cookbook, “Family Preserves: Home Cooked Stories From Immigrant Kitchens,” features recipes and stories collected from 13 immigrant families across the country.

“Murfreesboro, Tennessee has one of the largest populations of people from Laos,” Vivas said.

Among the dishes featured is a Hong Kong-inspired chicken wing recipe that combines ketchup, honey and soy sauce for what Vivas describes as “this kind of crispy, sticky, sweet taste.”

“Finding flavor that’s similar to what they know and love, it makes them feel comfort and happiness,” she said.

The cookbook includes detailed measurements for recipes traditionally prepared by feel.

“The funny thing is, a lot of parents don’t measure so this was a way for us to calculate in order to document it,” Vivas said.

With a foreword by James Beard Award-winning chef Phila Lorn of Mawn and Sow, “Family Preserves” is scheduled for publication in October 2026.