Students Explore Puerto Rican Heritage Through Food

Posted Date: 12/01/25 (08:45 AM)

To mark Puerto Rican Heritage Month, Southampton High School culinary and pop culture classes, under the direction of Dianna D’Amico, explored Puerto Rican pride through food. Students cooked dozens of pastelillos, a beloved Puerto Rican favorite, which they enjoyed together and shared with staff and friends. They prepared the pastelillos with beef, guava and cheese topped with powdered sugar, and experimented filling them with sweet potato and marshmallow before stirring up a large pot of arroz con gandules, a staple of Puerto Rican Thanksgiving celebrations. The kitchen continued to buzz with activity as students baked a selection of seasonal pumpkin, sweet potato and apple crumb pies to bring home and share with their families.