LAKEWOOD, Colo. — When Lila Ylarraza combines water, salt and harina PAN – a fine corn flour – she feels connected to her family in Venezuela. Ylarraza and her two daughters arrived in Denver nine months ago after traveling the dangerous route through jungle and desert to cross the southern border of the United States.

“In Venezuela, you learn how to make arepas from birth,” she says, laughing. She learned it from her mother and taught her daughters the same techniques.

She cooks by feel. She kneads the dough until it no longer sticks to her hands, lets it brown in a pan, bakes it in the oven and taps it to see when it’s done. Finished arepas sound hollow, similar to when you tap your stomach, Ylarraza said.

Cameron Duckworth, Denver7

“I’ll tell you the secret,” she said and told her the ingredients Guasaca Sauce that mixes coriander, garlic and mayonnaise.

Ylarraza is one of dozens of immigrants in Colorado who share recipes close to their hearts in the cookbook. Cocina Libre: Recipes of Immigrant Resistance.

Each recipe – from countries such as Peru, Ukraine, Mexico, Afghanistan, El Salvador, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Guatemala – has a story behind it.

Cameron Duckworth, Denver7

“We asked people to cook something that represents them and makes them feel good,” says Julia Roncoroni, who wrote and published the cookbook with her partner Delio Figueroa.

Roncoroni is a therapist. Figueroa is a music teacher. Both have worked with immigrants their entire careers. Neither had ever written a cookbook before. But they wanted to tell the stories of immigrants in a relatable way, and “everyone eats,” Roncoroni said.

The cookbook was written entirely by immigrants, including the foreword by Byron Gomez, a Costa Rican native and chef at Michelin-starred restaurant Brutø in Denver.

Cameron Duckworth, Denver7

“I hope we can start to humanize immigrants,” Roncoroni said.

“They don’t come here with nothing… they come with a strong cultural background and a strong identity,” she said. “They’re not here to take anything from anyone… they’re here to build a better life for themselves and their families.”

Despite all the hardships they have endured, including the dangerous journey to the United States, the stories in the book underscore their resilience, Roncoroni said.

“These are really damn cool, amazing, strong people who fight their way through a jungle, who fight their way through a desert. That’s powerful,” she said.

The cookbook is also a celebration. “We cooked and ate and learned so much about food. It was just really, really fun,” she said.

Roncoroni and her partner Figueroa are immigrants themselves – from Argentina and Puerto Rico. They didn’t want to be the focus of the cookbook. But the other immigrants they cooked with asked them to contribute a recipe of their own.

“It became an ordeal for the whole family,” she said. “My nine-year-old will tell you that’s her hand holding the piece (of cake). My three-year-old will tell you she’s a cook,” Roncoroni said, laughing.

To date, over 350 copies of the cookbook have been sold, with all proceeds benefiting the community through the nonprofit Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition.

Cameron Duckworth, Denver7

“We want to build a community. We want to build connections,” Roncoroni said.

The easiest and tastiest way to do this is through food.

And Ylarraza is proud that her recipe for a sandwich with fried plantains filled with meat and shredded cabbage is included in the book.

“I think it’s great that people can try something different,” she says. And the fact that everything is delicious helps.