WHEREAS, Luisa Chárriez de Morales, the daughter to Ramona Maldonado and Arturo Charriez was born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico in 1938, discovered her love of cooking through her first experiences of cooking on wooden stoves with her mother; and
WHEREAS, At the age of seventeen, Luisa Charriez de Morales came with her mother to the United States in 1956 and lived in New York where she later met her husband Bienvenido Morales. In 1981 Luisa moved to Philadelphia with her husband Bienvenido Morales; and
WHEREAS, As a proud mother to Migdalia Hidalgo, Bienvenido Morales, Jr., and Jowy Morales and later grandmother to Joseph Morales, Tasha Morales, Jonathan Morales, Johanna Hidalgo, Crystal Morales, Cassandra Morales, Amani Morales, Giovanni Morales, Joel Morales, and Jowy Morales, Jr., Luisa has shared her passion of cooking with her friends and family. At the enthusiastic requests of those friends and family, Luisa gave life to the catering business and shared her recipes with her fans in her book
La Cocina de Luisa
; and
WHEREAS, For a number of years Luisa found herself at a number of Hispanic events hosted at Penn’s Landing where she would sell her famous “
platillos”
with her daughter Mickey. On one occasion she was approached by former Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell at the event who said “They say you’re the best cook there is”, Luisa quickly responded “That is what they say”, to which former Governor Ed Rendell replied “No! The correct response is, I am the best!” becoming a crowd and foodie favorite at events at Penn’s Landing; and
WHEREAS, After years of requests for recipes from family and friends, Luisa’s granddaughter Tasha gave her a very special gift: a simple yet elegant notebook in which she [Tasha] suggested her grandmother begin to write recipes so that one day her legacy could be shared with the world. A gift that inspired Luisa to write her cook book
La Cocina de Luisa
, a book founded with love and keenly developed to allow even the most inexperienced of cooks to produce Puerto Rican cuisine for generations to come; and
WHEREAS, Luisa grew her small business into a thriving family-owned food service, that regularly took part in food festivals throughout the City of Philadelphia satisfying customers from all walks of life with her Spanish cuisines; and
WHEREAS, Luisa was well respected throughout the Latino community where many remember her for her charitable spirit and her enthusiasm, which has been a positive influence throughout the City of Philadelphia. Luisa made a positive impact on the many people who have been enriched by her knowledge and enhanced by her wisdom; and
WHEREAS, We in this Council, join in recognizing and honoring the life and legacy of Luisa Charriez de Morales and hope that the renaming of the 3700 Block of North 7th Street between W. Erie Avenue and W. Butler Street, will keep her memory alive, as a reminder of her service and dedication to the Latino community through her exquisite dishes; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, By the Council of the City of Philadelphia, That 3700 Block of N. 7th Street is also named “Luisa Charriez de Morales Paseo”.
End