Toñita and Mujeres con Sazón spreading the flavor in New York

Members of the Mujeres con Sazón Foundation, along with Toñita and her daughter, distributed food to the people of El Barrio in New York on Saturday, July 5th. This initiative began with Mujeres con Sazón's visit to the Caribbean Social Club prior to the Puerto Rican Parade last June.

María Antonia Cay, better known as Toñita, arrived in the Big Apple in the 1950s when she was just a young girl. After working in the needle industry, Toñita opened a meeting place for a group of baseball fans. As a result of her work, she had saved some money with which she was able to purchase the building that houses the Caribbean Social Club. This club initially arose from the need to create a space for baseball fans to gather before and after games. Toñita was one of those fans. So, upon purchasing the building, she moved into the vacant apartment and gave the first floor space to the club. Over the years, sports fans and non-fans alike came to share and enjoy the good atmosphere and Puerto Rican music. Over the years, Toñita acquired a license to sell alcoholic beverages, and the number of visitors increased.

Toñita is much more than the manager of a social space; she's a symbol of resistance and resilience. The neighborhood has evolved, transformed, and the Caribbean Social Club remains the people's home. No one is denied entry. Every day, from her kitchen at 8:30 a.m. sharp, Toñita prepares food for the needy, and whatever's leftover, she takes it to the Club so anyone who's there can help themselves. It feels just like home. That's what Toñita wants to convey and maintain at the Caribbean Social Club.

Mujeres con Sazón wanted to join her quest to cook for the people and those without, and cook alongside her. On Saturday, July 5th, Mujeres con Sazón, along with Toñita and her daughter, went to the kitchen of La Fonda NY to prepare a meal for charity, with seasoning and love. The commitment was to serve as many people as possible, and the goal was achieved. They prepared stewed chicken with rice and chickpeas, along with pig's trotters. The meeting in the kitchen of La Fonda NY was ideal because it brought together another icon of the city and the Puerto Rican community in New York. La Fonda is a restaurant that serves typical Puerto Rican food and has been open for more than 32 years. Chef James González, along with his mother, runs the restaurant and is responsible for welcoming diners with the best service, as we Puerto Ricans are known for.

Part of our foundation's mission is to promote and preserve Puerto Rican culinary heritage, and these encounters with Puerto Rican institutions in the Big Apple fill us with enthusiasm and energy to continue spreading the flavor.