Josefina Prado Lizárraga resides in Tucson and shared her stories growing up in Mexico, migrating to the U.S. and settling in Arizona.

She was born in Nayarit, Mexico. Her mother had a restaurant and her father worked at the railroad. She liked to observe what was happening in the kitchen, from stews simmering to beans cooking on the stove.

Josefina recalls how much her mother loved cooking. Josefina beams with pride when she describes the flower shop she owned in Tucson. To this day, she loves gardening and her favorites are pomegranates and limes.

She made caldo de queso (cheese soup) and stuffed zucchini flowers filled with cheese.