Richie Torres tells us what motivated him to get involved in politics, and how he encourages others to do the same.

A lifelong neighborhood resident with a mission to change her community’s food culture.

For two guys who grew up in The Bronx, hearty meat dishes they learned from women in their families connect them to their immigrant roots. John O’Connell and Richard Rodriguez are both hosts for About Men Radio.

O’Connell, the youngest of four boys, makes Irish beef stew, a recipe handed down from his grandmother to his mother, and then to him. “Actually when I think about Ireland,” he says,  “I think about the potato famine. Most of the Irish dishes have potatoes. So my Irish stew is loaded with potatoes and onions.”

For O’Connell, learning how to make this dish became a test to see if he was ready to leave his childhood home to live on his own. Here is his story, produced with the help of our friends at Cowbird. It’s called “If I can make that, maybe they’ll ease off.”

*We’re sorry, but CowBird’s website is no longer active, so this story isn’t available*

View more in this series Schooled By Their Mothers, These Men Carry on Family Recipes

For Richard Rodriguez sitting down to a family meal is a “sacred time.” Rodriguez, whose parents came from Puerto Rico, remembers Sunday dinners at his grandparents’ house of roast pork, rice and beans. Now he cooks for his own children and has taught them how to make some dishes. His story is called “Let those spices do their job.”

*We’re sorry, but CowBird’s website is no longer active, so this story isn’t available*

Fi2W is supported by the David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation, the Ralph E. Odgen Foundation, and the Nicholas B. Ottaway Foundation.

A photo essay that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

The Bronx has more African immigrants than any of NYC’s boroughs.

Immigrants talk about how they remain connected to their home culture through food.

Beauty, self-confidence and “fitting in” to American culture are factors for black women immigrants when they choose their hair style.

A video portrait of Nelson Andujar, an Ivy League graduate and the son of Dominican immigrants. While his friends move away for work he feels bound to his family and the Bronx.

A video about the ethnic politics of a Bronx City Council race from our friends at Voices of NY, plus other stories of interest.

Congressman Rangel wins by a razor-thin margin, dashing the hopes of a challenger who had hoped to be the first Dominican-born member of Congress.