This photo essay explores the stories of immigrant business-owners in the Providence, Rhode Island area. In a country with a changing attitude towards immigration and a city where 13.5% of the population is foreign-born, these individuals each illustrate the growing cultural and economic contributions of the immigrant community to American society, and model an alternative measure of success through their personal determination and commitment to the persistent pursuit of a better life.
Photos by Maria Paz Almenara and Emma Murray.
__________________________________
“We didn’t come here because we wanted to, we came here because we were dying.” Chutema arrived in the US in 1976. Having witnessed the brutalities of the Vietnam War, he secured refugee status and fled his native Cambodia to pursue a new life. Since Angkor’s opening in 2007, the family-run restaurant has been operated by Chutema, who is its sole owner and chef. He has prepared traditional Cambodian recipes daily since then to provide for his two children, and proudly announces his perfect record: “ I haven’t been sick in 5 years!”
__________________________________
“When I first came here I was working in nursing and I was tired and I said, you know what? No more of this, I am going to open my own restaurant.” “Mama Tina” arrived in the United States 35 years ago as a young Jamaican woman following her heart. Her first restaurant business originated in a small corner store with one table and four chairs. Since then she has expanded to a slightly larger operation located on Federal Hill in the heart of Providence, Rhode Island. The hole-in-the-wall restaurant is run single-handedly by the affectionate Mama Tina, serving traditional Jamaican Cuisine directly influenced by her life on the island. The restaurant business is tough for her, but as Mama Tina says, “what makes me go through the days is the interactions with the customers.” The small, home-style restaurant is tangible proof of a dream fulfilled.
