Los Isleños are descendants of Canary Islanders who immigrated to St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, beginning in 1778. In the interceding 200-plus years, los Isleños have combined ingredients from Spanish, French, Italian, and other cuisines to create a rich gumbo that remains unique to their particular brand of cooking.

More than 800 recipes that reflect this culinary heritage have been gathered here- many of which had to be painstakingly translated from "a pinch of this" and "a handful of that" to more exact measurements.

Each chapter begins with a historical fact about los Isleños and general cooking tips and ends with space to list favorite recipes and their page numbers.