Portuguese Chef Shares Family Recipes She Learned After Loss: ‘Something to Hold Onto’

In her search for childhood recipes, chef Maria Lawton found solace from grief and a gift for the next generation.

Maria Lawton learned all about Azorean cooking to preserve her family's food heritage. Kelsey Garcia

When chef Maria Lawton set out to write a cookbook, she never thought it would be for the public eye. It was simply her way of honoring her family heritage and processing her grief.

“It all began after a four-year period where I lost people I loved deeply in my family,” said Lawton, the award-winning host of the PBS cooking show “Maria’s Portuguese Table.” “My brother-in-law, my mother, my father, and my grandmother all passed in a short amount of time. With that, our family changed.”