Family Preserves

*Books will ship in December

Family Preserves: Home-Cooked Stories from Immigrant Kitchens is a visual anthology spotlighting the cultural identities of immigrant American families through food, memory, and tradition. Photographer and writer Cielito Mercado Vivas traveled across six states, documenting thirteen families with roots around the world through intimate kitchen portraits, extensive interviews, and accompanying narrative essays. Through these multigenerational stories, Vivas explores food as a source of comfort, a vessel for cultural inheritance, and a battleground for assimilation. Together, the stories reveal the complex landscape of immigrants and their children building lives in America.

Cielito Mercado Vivas is an award-winning travel and portrait photographer and the author of Family Preserves. Her work unpacks the human condition, capturing the essence of communities and individuals across the globe. Born and raised in Philadelphia to immigrant parents, her diverse upbringing sparked a fascination with different cultures. She has since called New York City and Barcelona home, experiences that have further shaped her curiosity and passion for storytelling. Through her work, she aims to illuminate the soul of her wide range of subjects, from cooks to iconoclasts to neighborhoods. Her photography has been published nationally and internationally.

Phila Lorn is a Cambodian American chef from Philadelphia and co-owner of the acclaimed restaurants Mawn and Sao. In 2025, he won the prestigious James Beard Award for Emerging Chef and was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs.