The recipes tell the story of America from the beginning, when the author’s ancestors, the People of the First Light, who walked the land now known as Cape Cod and its islands over 10,000 years ago, encountered the English settlers. The author presents stories of her ancestors of the Portuguese Diaspora and Seychelle Islands, driven by the whaling industry to the shores of New Bedford and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The recipes are a map of historical events that formulated the beginning of this nation from the Native American perspective. The recipes are used as a metaphor to examine the author’s own cultural and ethnic identity and personal journey. The author tells the story of Mashpee, one of the last and largest declared Indian districts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, later incorporated into a town in 1870. Angela shares stories of her legacy as a member of the Peters family, including her grandfather, who represented the Indian town for over thirty-seven years, and their ties to the Kennedy family and the family’s deep commitment to the survival of this unique community.

Angela C. Marcellino is a member of the present-day Mashpee Wampanoag federally recognized tribe who still live on their ancestral lands, where they walk, speak their language, and continue to celebrate their culture. Angela is the granddaughter of Steven A. Peters, a prominent selectman who served the town of Mashpee from 1927-1954. Angela has strong ties to her Mashpee tribal community and her Indigenous culture. She has worked as a program administrator for over twenty years for federally recognized Tribes and Native American nonprofit organizations. She has served on several boards and commissions, including eight years on the Mashpee Wampanoag Economic Development Corporation Commission as well as the Mashpee Wampanoag Museum Committee and Mashpee Wampanoag Housing Commission. Angela has had the privilege of cooking and serving traditional meals for her friends in her community. Angela is the proud daughter of John P. Marcellino, Jr., a member of the Harwich, Massachusetts, Carbo Verde community. He is the son of Lucile Laport Ramos and John P Marcellino, Sr. Nicknamed “Jake,” John Jr. was an athletic legend in high school. He was a draftee of the Boston Braves, a Korean War Veteran, and a Mashpee policeman.