I have been eating Silvia's food for 15 years.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that every single time she has cooked for me -- and I mean every time -- I have walked away thinking someone needs to know about this. The flavors, the technique, the way she makes it all look so effortless. I have been asking her to come on the show for a while, and when Cinco de Mayo came up on the calendar, I thought -- this is it.

So we did something a little different this week. No studio. No microphones on a table. Just Silvia, me, my kitchen, and a plan to make pastel -- which is what she calls a Mexican lasagna -- completely from scratch.

"She walked in with tomatillos, poblano peppers, chicken, corn tortillas, and Oaxacan cheese. And then she just... took over my kitchen. In the best way possible."

## Where Silvia's Food Comes From

Silvia Boissonneault was born near Brownsville, Texas -- right on the Mexican border -- and spent her young life moving across the north of Mexico with her family. Her dad was from the north, her mom from Mexico City, and the two of them raised Silvia in a world where food was central to everything, even if she was not allowed in the kitchen to touch it.

Her mom was an incredible cook. But the kids stayed out of the way. Silvia watched, absorbed, and filed it all away -- and then she got married and realized she did not even know how to make eggs.

So she started calling her mom. Recipe by recipe, dish by dish, she learned to cook the food she grew up eating. By the time she was 25, she says, she really started to get it. And now -- decades later -- she makes food that stops people in their tracks.

## Building a Life in New Hampshire

She met her husband John near the border. He is from Manchester, New Hampshire. And after 12 years together, they moved up here and started their life in NH.

Finding Mexican ingredients in the early days was not easy. She told me there was really only one store on Union Street back then -- she used to make special trips just to find what she needed. Friends from El Paso would mail her ingredients she could not get here. Now she says Market Basket and the Saigon Market on Chestnut Street carry most of what she needs.

## The Pastel -- Layer by Layer

Here is what we made: a salsa verde from scratch -- tomatillos, jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, chicken bouillon -- blended and cooked with sautéed onion and chicken. Then we sautéed corn tortillas in oil and layered them with the chicken, the green sauce, poblano peppers, sour cream, and Oaxacan cheese. Into the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.

The smell coming out of that oven was something I will not forget for a long time.

## What Cinco de Mayo Actually Means

Here is the thing -- I learned something this episode that genuinely surprised me. Silvia told me that in the south of Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not really celebrated. It is much bigger here in the US than it is in most of Mexico.

It marks a battle -- the Battle of Puebla in 1862 -- when Mexico defeated the French army. A significant moment. But the holiday that really matters across Mexico? The 16th of September -- Mexico's independence day -- with army parades, horses, traditional dresses, and celebrations in every city and town.

Silvia compared Cinco de Mayo to St. Patrick's Day here in the States. A cultural celebration that took on a life of its own outside its country of origin. I thought that was such a perfect way to put it.

## The Family That Fills Her Kitchen

Silvia has three daughters -- Sylvia, Sonia, and Sarah. Her oldest granddaughter is about to turn 18. Her grandson in Maine just started baseball. Her other grandson just started track. She talks about all of them the way she talks about food -- with complete and total love.

And then there is Sarah. Sarah is 33 and lives at home with Silvia and John. She has special needs and Silvia is her full-time caregiver. Right now Sarah is training for Special Olympics track and field. She also does bowling in October.

Silvia said it so simply: Sarah likes books, she likes her movies, and she is a wonderful girl. That is it. No complicated framing, no heavy explanation. Just love.

## The Moment We Cut Into It

When we pulled the pastel out of the oven and cut into it, I honestly did not know what to expect. All those layers -- the tortillas, the chicken, the salsa, the peppers, the cheese -- it looked incredible. Silvia said "Provecho" -- which she explained means enjoy, savor, dig in.

I took a bite. The poblano had a little heat, the salsa verde was bright and fresh, the cheese was melted all the way through. I needed a little salt -- I always need a little salt -- but O M G. That is a dish I am making again.

Silvia, thank you for bringing your kitchen into mine. Fifteen years of friendship and I feel like I am just getting started learning from you.

New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe on YouTube, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and come back next week for another conversation Beyond the Plate.

-- Carol

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ABOUT CAROL ERICKSON

Carol Erickson has owned Red Arrow Diner since 1987 -- four locations across New Hampshire, open 24/7. She started Beyond the Plate to tell the real stories behind the people who make New England's food and hospitality scene what it is. Not just what's on the menu. What's behind it.

This article is brought to you by Red Arrow Diner -- 4 locations across New Hampshire, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Manchester, Concord, Londonderry, and Nashua. Come find us anytime hunger hits.
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