Shared Stories & Recipes: Kuky Faison on Finding God, Helping Others, and Melt In Your Mouth Dishes
When I first started thinking about this project, I was longing for a community where people could share recipes and stories. So much of life happens around the table. Regardless of culture, religious background, or language, community takes place when we break bread together. So many of my favorite memories and family stories have taken place around the table and often when I eat a family favorite dish, the memories come flooding back. My hope is that this project becomes a place where we can virtually share favorite recipes and our stories with each other.
In honor of our exploration of the flavors of Peru, my dear friend Kuky was gracious enough to share her story with us. When I first met Kuky, my now husband and I had just started dating. She and my husband had worked together and become very good friends, they were close friends for several years before he and I met. Kuky moved back to Peru shortly after Davor and I started dating, and while she was there she opened a cupcake shop and started a nonprofit that helps support orphaned girls. She now lives back in the States where she continues the work she is doing through her non-profit Senorita, and has launched a new business as a Health Coach. Through Healthy Project, she helps clients to live a healthier lifestyle through nutrition, meal planning, work outs, and community. She is an amazing friend and my hero in so many ways, my whole family wishes that she could run for president.
Kuky’s faith and heart for community shines through everything she does. It is a joy and honor to watch how God is using her work for His kingdom, and to so clearly see the difference He is making in the girls lives through Kuky’s work with Senorita. Kuky has done several fundraisers over the years, she started by selling jewelry (you will get a snapshot of that experience below) as well as Peruvian Alfajor Cookies. She is gracious enough to share the recipe for her amazing cookies as well!
The following is a conversation Kuky and I shared while she kindly shared her story with me:
What is your name?
Estefania, but most of my friends call me Kuky
Where are you from?
Arequipa, Peru
What is your story?
Kuky: I feel like my life is cut in 3 parts. One part is in Peru. Very happy, loving family, you have very comfortable resources, you just live in a good life, you know? And out of nowhere, they are like, ok, you no longer live here. You are out. And we moved to the states. So my mom moved first, and we stayed with Grandma for a year. That one year with Grandma was freedom completely. 13 years old, being out on the streets, drinking, partying, it was just too much. But you already get used to the freedom. So when my Grandma told my mom, your daughters are out of control, my mom was like ok, well I’ll bring them here. We moved here, and my parents were in the process of getting a divorce. So when we moved here, for us it really shook us. First, we didn’t speak the language. From having a nice house, maids, food always ready, we moved to a one bedroom apartment, sleeping on the floor. It was just like, ok what is all of this? Mom is working all the time, dad is here, dad is not here... It was [like this for] just two years, in California, and it was just awful. And then my mom’s friends told them, you know if you move to Dallas the cost of living is just cheaper, you need to go there. My dad was not really involved, he moved out, and my mom was like, yeah, we have to go, because we won’t be able to survive here. It was too expensive. So we were able to move here [to Dallas], a nice family actually took us to their apartment. A 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment, they were a family of 5 and they took 4 of us. I think it was a weekend until we were able to get an apartment. So we got an apartment, my mom was working at Chico’s, a clothing store at the mall, and that’s when we started going to Centennial Frisco High School. And that’s actually when I learned to speak English because in California everyone speaks Spanish. Frisco back then, there were not a lot of hispanics. So that kind of forced me [to learn English]. Playing volleyball helped me a lot to make friends, to be out there. So, it was just… it was an alright time. I still missed home so much. I just felt like this was not ever my home. That one day I was going to come back to live in Peru. That was always my mindset. It was just hard [without] that family connection.We just felt like everybody was just doing their own thing. [My sister] Rochi here, me there, like it was not… we were not united. So that was one of the things [that convinced me] I’m not going to stay here. I want to go back to grandparents, aunts, they always get together, things like that. So then I finished school, that’s when I started college, that’s when we started hanging out, we had a nice group of friends, but we were just partying. The only focus was like what to wear, who are you hanging out with… a very selfish life. It just felt empty. And I was in a really bad relationship. No respect. It was not real love. We were just hurting each other. Like who can hurt [each other] more, and who can take the [most]. It was really bad. And I was in that relationship for 3 years. And we were never boyfriend and girlfriend. So I was just like, I need to get out of here. I felt like I was in a hole. You know? So I [decided] after I graduated from college, I’m going to move. I’m going to go to Peru. Everyone was against the decision. Nobody wanted me to leave. [They said] we worked so hard for you to come here, nobody supported [my decision]. But I was able to go there, work there, it went really well. I just, I loved it, you know? I was in another relationship, it was nice… Right before that trip, that’s when I met God. I remember it was Sunday, 5am, after partying. I was laying in my sister’s bed and I was actually with my friend. We were just wondering like, is this it?
Me: So y’all found God together?
Kuky: Well she found God before but she just kinda missed… She used to go to church and actually she used to date the pastor’s son, things like that, but she had a bad experience so she kinda pushed that [away]. So I remembered that 3 years ago, I used to have a boyfriend, who went to UTA. So on weekends, he would come to see me. I would work in the restaurant [on weekends and] I could just hang out with him on Sunday nights. So on Sundays, he would actually go to church in front of the restaurant where I used to work. And I didn’t know, I was like, oh you are going to church? Ok cool. And one Sunday I did not work and he was like “do you want to come with me?” And I was like, I’ll try it. And when I went I felt like I was not at church. Because all my life I went to a Catholic church so I’m used to seeing, you know, big things, you see Jesus crucified, you see the Virgin Mary. And this was just a room with chairs. No idols, anything. So I was just like, ok. And at the end of the service, I was like, oh my gosh, I understood! Like I learned something. [Before,] I would always fall asleep, always. So I was like, ok. Oh wow, that was actually pretty good. So I remembered that, that church was just five minutes driving from my house. So I was like, I’m just going to go back there, it is in Spanish, it’s cool. And I remembered I learned something. So I went back, and it was just right away. I started serving, going to all the events. I started creating a young adults group, we would meet with the young pastors… And there were no young adults, it was just literally 10 people, no more. And it was just nice. And then I decided to move to Peru. And that was kinda hard because in Peru, the Christian community is just growing. So it took me a while to find a church. And also the ones where I went, they are very old school. Very old school. So it's not like here. But in Peru, I had no friends that were Christian. So when I went to Peru I was able to open a cupcake shop, that went really well. But I never really involved God. Like I was just grateful, but it was not like, a strong relationship. And especially with our community, it was just kinda like, ok do your own thing, do what’s convenient, do what’s not convenient. One day, my Aunt called me saying I have some community service that I want to do, do you want to come with me? And I was like, yeah why not? So I went and she took me to this orphanage. And the moment I crossed that door I was like oh my gosh. Like it was just something special that stayed in my heart. And something that really, really bothered me was seeing women on the streets with their kids. That was just something that bothered me the whole time living there. And when I went to the orphanage, I saw all those kids, so loving. They didn’t even know my name but they hugged me, they kissed me, they welcomed me in with a big smile. And I was like, what is this? That was my first time being in an orphanage. I contacted the person in charge and I”m like, tell me how I can serve you. So from there, I would do the birthday parties, I would take them to swimming lessons, we would take them to the park, I would take a group of friends, we would take our cars and just do different activities with the kids. At least once a month. And then, after almost 4 years it was time to come back here. I felt like I was missing a lot of my family stuff. My sister was getting married, and also in real life I was very close to my family. I have my grandparents, my aunts, but at the end of the day, everybody would just go to their family. And I was by myself. So I was like, it is time for me to go back to my family. So I was able to sell the cupcake shop, but then I was so in love with the orphanage, that I was like, what can I do to continue helping from far away? And I noticed that whenever I was going there, some girls were just gone. And I was like, what happened? I would ask and they were like, well she just took off, and they would tell me like, she got pregnant, and now we don’t know what is going to happen with her… So it was just like they were leaving the orphanage and getting pregnant and sometimes sending the kids back to the orphanage, it was just like, ok… And so to the [Director]I was like, this is something I can see myself helping with, what can we do? And Senor Jose, that’s his name, was like well, definitely keeping their mind busy is something that helps. So I was like ok, maybe we can give them a career. So I was like, ok, we’ll start with these three girls, see what happens. And the nonprofit [was born]. I just made the worst business mistakes. The cupcake factory was a success, I know God was involved, but I never really asked for it. And I was so confident about that success and I was like oh I can make another success, but I never really invited Him to be a part of it. And I just made the worst business decisions on how I moved the money, the things that I did. Not bad in a wrong way, just [poor business decisions].. Like I bought a thousand boxes for the 75 [pieces of] jewelry that I had. Thinking, well I’m going to be continuing supplying so, I’m going to sell a thousand pieces of jewelry. Like I didn’t need a thousand of everything, a thousand boxes, a thousand sheets of paper… And I brought all of that with me. I left clothes [in Peru] because I needed to bring stuff for Senorita. And I was like, you only have 75 pieces of jewelry, why [all of this]? Because it was cheaper. The more you buy, it gets cheaper. So now that I look back and I just wasted so much money. That was very painful but that’s fine. But that’s how Senorita was created. And so I started selling jewelry online, but it went horrible.
Me: Did it???
Kuky: (laughing) you were my only customer!
Me: (laughing) I remember when my mom ordered some and you were like, oh she lives in Frisco, you knew exactly who it was.
Kuky: I will say, maybe 20 [orders].
Me: Do you have more jewelry?
Kuky: I do have some more. I was able to find a really good man who does the jewelry. And to find that place, oh my goodness you should have seen me.
Me: I remember that you were telling me! Like you just showed up...
Kuky: I went to the capital, I took like a 16 hour bus ride to the capital, I didn’t know where to go, just asking people [on the street]. And I did it three times, I think it’s crazy.
Me: I think it’s amazing. Just your tenacity in that moment, you’re like, “I’m just going to go figure it out”. I don’t react that way and I think it’s amazing that you did.
Kuky: Well, anyways, it didn’t go [well] and I was about to close it, I just didn’t know what to do. I was living with my mom with a kickboxing [instructor] salary, I couldn’t save any money, I was frustrated. I’m like, I’m never going to get out of this hole. Coming from having your own business, working 4 hours a day, having a very comfortable [situation] to living with your mom, you have this commitment, it was just like, what are you doing? So Landmark really helped me. I went to a self development course and that really, really helped me to overcome a lot of walls that I had. And that’s when I started involving God more - I kept telling Him, this is your Project. [Before that] I noticed that I created Senorita for me. To feed my ego. For people to be like, oh thats so nice that you are doing that. It was created from a wrong place. But I was able to recognize and admit it, and let people in to help (because I wanted to pretend everything was good and that I had everything under control). The moment that I was just like, I’m not doing well, I need help, people came to help right away. And that’s when I realized Senorita is a community project, it’s not Kuky’s project. And that type of mentality really helped me to shift, and also involving God. And He is actually the one who provided the idea for the alfajores. And the alfajores [have been] good to pay for the amount of girls that I have right now. But if I want to go to the next level, right now I’m asking God, what is it? Because obviously with the cookies it is not enough, but it is enough to cover the costs that I have right now. That’s how senorita was created.
Me: So you were saying your life was in three parts. So your life in Peru…
Kuky: My life here without God, and now my life with God.
How do you see the organization growing in the future?
Kuky: My first goal is for 500 girls. I would like for Senorita to be a program that helps hundreds and hundreds of girls. Like my dream, I would like to have a house in Arequipa for the girls. Because they can’t stay living in the orphanage after 18. So I [would] kinda have like a house, like where all the girls live together. Obviously there are rules and everything, that comes later, but just like a nice house where they feel comfortable. Just something nice for them, their own room, their own bed, a nice pension. Where they go to school.
What is one thing supporters can do to help you with your goals right now?
Kuky: Definitely economic donations. It helps me to put their money toward education. If you want to sponsor a girl for a year that would be awesome. Right now I have 3 girls. 2 are going to school right now, one is getting ready for next year. She didn’t pass the test this year, and the school year starts in March. So she is getting ready for March.
The first Senorita mission trip took place during the summer of 2019, will there be any other mission trips planned to Arequipa in the future? Or fundraisers?
Kuky: It was so nice, the girls had such a great time, they loved it. For me it was a lot of work, but you know what, it was something I always wanted to do. To give other people the experience I had, when it comes to just being a different scenario helping people. You can help people anywhere, but definitely going to a third world country opens up your eyes a lot more to the needs of the world.
Food:
What do you like to eat/cook?
Kuky: I just realized I like cooking last year. I think out of all my family, (we are all girls) I am the one that they are like, I know you’re not going to cook. Everybody will cook, even if they don’t want to, but they will never count on me for cooking. But I realized that I did not like it, because I didn’t know how, and I didn’t prepare it myself. So now, I am actually getting certified to be a plant based Chef. That actually helped me, because it is teaching me the process of how to cook properly. It’s called mise en plus. Mise en plus is like if you are going to cook a pizza, you are not going to just start grabbing the ingredients. You need to lay out all the ingredients before you start cooking. That process makes everything so much easier. You have everything on your table, but if you are cutting, you are putting something on fire, then you go to the fridge, get it out, and then you are like oh my gosh oh my gosh, and if it is dirty, and at the end it becomes a huge mess. And you are like, now I have to clean? You cook for an hour, you eat for 5 minutes, and then you clean for another 30 minutes. Like that is not a fun process. So now I really enjoy it because I know how to plan it. Like when you know how to do something, you enjoy it. When you don’t know, you’re just like, no I don’t want to do it. So I really enjoy plant based, I love whole food. Like if you love cheesecake, I can make you a healthy version. I have failed many times, don’t get me wrong. One time I cooked a pasta for my dad, oh gosh we couldn’t even eat it. It’s been a process.
What is your favorite food?
Kuky: I love pizza.
Me: Have you found some yummy plant based options, like do you like cauliflower crust?
Kuky: I have tried cauliflower crust, I think it tastes good but it’s not going to give you the feeling [of pizza]. I have learned how to make gluten free plant based pizza and that pizza was delicious. I didn’t have to use cheese, it was just almond cheese, and it tasted so good.
What are some of your memories of food growing up?
Kuky: Always sweets. Especially cookies. I used to have a nanny and we would make cookies [together], it was like the best thing ever. It was so much fun. Especially cookies. I guest those were the ones that called me because my hands were on it. You know? When you make it, it’s just different.
Are there any foods you eat now that take you back to eating with your family?
Kuky: Definitely peruvian food. Especially white rice. Oh my gosh, I love white rice. Like Peruvian food, I guess a specific dish, you know, Peruvian cuisine is so diverse. I would say ceviche. Fresh, we would go… oh it’s somebody’s birthday, let’s go eat some seafood, you know.
Me: So is that your go-to? Like when people get together that’s typically what you eat?
Kuky: There are so many things. On Sundays, we would eat Comida Criolla. Comida Criolla is a mix of Peruvian cuisine with African. You know slaves also came to Peru, so we have a black culture. So it’s called Comida Criolla.
Me: So it is a mix of the flavors then?
Kuky: Yeah, Criolla means when a Spanish person mixes with an Incan person. So when they came to Peru, there was a mix. So they became the combinations. So, I am a Criolla, people would say. So it’s a lot of beans, a lot of rice too. A lot of potatoes, a lot of meat. There is meat in every dish, always. So on Sundays we would go to a restaurant and everybody would pick a different plate. And everybody would share it.
If someone wanted to try Peruvian food for the first time, what would you recommend they start with?
Kuky: I would ask them if they like fish, chicken, or beef first. And then I would go from there. If they say fish, definitely ceviche. And also if they are ok with eating the raw fish. If it is chicken, definitely aji de gallina. It’s shredded chicken and the yellow is like a hot pepper that they mix with milk, and crackers… And if they like beef, this one is the most popular one, it is lomo saltado. It’s potato, beef, tomato, and white rice.
When you first moved to the states, was it difficult to adjust to the food here?
Kuky: Yes, but in a good way. Because we didn’t know what was healthy. So for us, eating lasagna was something for a special occasion. So when we went to walmart and we saw the frozen lasagna, we were like oh my gosh, we don’t have to cook it? For us, we didn’t know about frozen food. So we would buy lasagna every week. And when I found a gallon of ice cream, are you kidding me, I would buy every week a gallon of ice cream. Waffles, ice cream, waffles, ice cream. That would be my meal. That is what I would eat. It was really bad.
Me: That is so funny to me because that is such a contrast with how I have always known you, so it’s funny to me to even picture that.
Kuky: And mac and cheese, definitely. No time, mac and cheese. So it was just like, it was not different in wrong way, obviously it was wrong for my health, but it was just new. I did not know about frozen food. And I do miss the bread. You know, very traditional. In Peru, it was actually fancy to eat the [loaves of white] bread that we eat here. It was fancy because it cost more money. So we would eat it just once here and there with cheese. And then when you have it every day, we got tired. We were just like, I want to go back to the artisan bread. They would leave it at your front door. For $.30, they would leave you 10 [loaves or buns].
Me: The bread when we went to Argentina tasted different there.
Kuky: Yes, I definitely miss the bread. And also, I drank evaporated milk my whole life. You are telling me that the milk is in the fridge? And I have to drink it without mixing it with water? I would grab the gallon of milk, put it in a cup, and add water to it. Because that was how I would always drink milk. And put it in the microwave. (laughing)
Me: Really? Oh that's so different than here!
Kuky: Yeah! We always drank hot milk, never cold milk, ever. So that was weird.
Me: I’m glad I’m asking these questions because these are things I would never even think of.
Sweet or salty?
Kuky: Sweet
Snack of choice?
Kuky: I love apples.
Go-to recipe?
Kuky: Pollo horno. Chicken in the oven and white rice.
Have you ever tried a dish or flavor that blew you away? Or something that was so different but surprisingly good?
Kuky: I just went to an Indian restaurant and I ate lamb. I was just like, please, I don’t want to get full, I just want to keep eating. It was just the most delicious thing. The lamb, it was so perfectly cooked that it would just melt in your mouth. The flavor was just, oh gosh, it was just amazing.
Recipe to share:
Kuky: I want to share a very sacred recipe that I have. It's the alfajores. It’s the first video on YouTube (laughs).
Alfajores [are meaningful] for me, first, my nickname is Kuky, I make cookies. And I like sweets. And second of all, it’s just a sweet way to provide future for other people. I found this product is not hard to sell, people really enjoy it, and they love the cause. Because I was selling jewelry, they loved the cause but they didn’t like the product. So [with alfajores], we love the product and we love what it is going for. So it was such a good combination. You know it is funny, I trained so hard to learn how to make cupcakes. But then when I opened the cupcake shop, I had other people making the cupcakes for me so I completely forgot. So when I came for my sister’s wedding, they expected me to do the cupcakes for the wedding, and they were horrible. They couldn’t believe that I owned a cupcake shop. So embarrassing.
People think this is a family recipe from my Grandma, my great grandma, my great great grandma, so if you can just… Just kidding! You know what happened? We had a recipe from my mom’s sister’s friend. And every time she would make alfajores, we were like oh my gosh. So I’m like, can you please share your recipe, and they were like no [at first]. And then they said, well ok I guess we will. So I got the recipe, and we tried it here. You know, when you try a recipe in another country, things change. Altitude, water, everything. And that was the first alfajor fundraiser. The dough was so horrible. It was a nightmare to make alfajores for that fundraiser. So the whole week, my mom was looking for different recipes. She was like, let’s try this one, so one day we tried it, and it was good. It is perfect for here.
Here is the recipe Kuky used when she did her alfajor fundraisers for Senorita. This link will take you to the original recipe in Spanish, find the English translation below:
Alfajores de Peruana
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
2 cups of corn starch
1 cup of flour
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 sticks of unsalted of butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
For the filling:
Dulce de leche
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 340 Degrees. In a large bowl, mix the chilled butter with the powdered sugar until blended consistently (large pieces for the mixture is fine). Add the flour and corn starch to the mixture user a sifter or colander. Once mixed consistently, add the egg and continue to mix, using your hands to blend the dough. As the mixture begins to stick together, add the vanilla extract and mix. Once mixed, move the dough to a counter top or board for kneading (it will still be dry). Knead for 5 or 6 minutes until the mixture is consistent throughout and malleable. Form into a ball and cover with plastic. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. One the dough has finished chilling, prepare a counter top or board and rolling pin for rolling the dough by sprinkling corn starch across both. Roll out the dough until flattened and about ½ a centimeter in height. Use a cookie cutter to cut out round disks from the dough and place on greased baking pan. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Remove from the oven when the edges have started to turn golden but not brown. The cookies will be very delicate, allow to cool completely before removing from the baking sheet (30 minutes to an hour). Once cooled, spread the dulce de leche on the bottom of one cookie, and sandwich a second on the top. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of the cookie for the Senorita way, or drizzle white or dark chocolate over the top for an added flavor.
Yields approximately two and a half dozen alfajor cookies (depending on the size of your cookies).
These cookies are addictive, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! If you want to support Senorita, check out their website here. They are taking financial donations for the girls in the program and any help is so appreciated. Also check out Kuky’s business site for Healthy Project, she is very often posting healthy recipes you don’t want to miss!
Buen Provecho!