Meet Adelina

Adelina’s Harlem story began on 96th street, where she grew up. Her dad had a restaurant specializing in Spanish and Southern cuisine on 116th street, “That’s who I learned how to cook from.” She has fond memories of his cooking, sharing her favorite dish he would make, “It’s made with the white of the watermelon and it's candied. It was so good… He was an amazing cook…” Her father closed the restaurant when she was around four years old “because he was not spending any time at home and he’s not that type of guy. He was a family man.”

Her favorite thing about Harlem is the community, “Everybody looks out for each other… It's amazing. It's like one big old dysfunctional family, but we're all one big family. I love it.” Adelina finds community on the block she lives on, describing a time they showed up for each other, “We had a blackout years ago. You know, everything was thawing out in the freezer. My ex-husband was like, ‘what are we going to do?’ And I was like, ‘let's have a barbecue’. And we did that, and it was so funny… and we had the best time. You know, New York City was acting crazy and we were fine. We were out there barbecuing in front of my building...”

“Everybody looks out for each other… It’s amazing. It’s like one big old dysfunctional family, but we’re all one big family. I love it.”

She has new favorite restaurants including BLVD, Root Juicery, Melba’s, and Harlem Biscuit Company. As she talked about Harlem Biscuit Company, a passerby walking their dog began to talk to us about wanting to try the restaurant and sharing a love for BLVD. They talked about restaurants they like, what to order, and before leaving wished each other a great day. After the passerby departed, Adelina said to us, “See, and that is Harlem.”

Adelina’s love for Harlem shows in her final message, “I know it sounds so corny, but give Harlem a chance. You won't regret it. I know it sounds so cliche. But, it's… home. You know, no matter what changes have happened. People are too busy trying to say what's wrong with Harlem and forgetting what's right with Harlem. If that makes sense.”