Puerto Ricans mix culture with traditional Thanksgiving at downtown Kissimmee restaurant

3 Sisters Speakeasy owner Felix Ortiz is expecting more than 300 people to come to his downtown Kissimmee restaurant Thursday to celebrate a Thanksgiving of mixed cultures: a U.S. traditional meal served with a side of Puerto Rican dishes.

This year marks the eighth year that 3 Sisters Speakeasy will be putting a twist on its free Thanksgiving meals by adding pernil or pork shoulder and arroz con gandules or rice with pigeon beans, alongside the traditional turkey.

“We’re always into family; it doesn’t matter what holiday it is,” said Ortiz. “But, you know, those special occasions, if we can reach out to people or help people, that’s what we’ll do,” Ortiz said. “I’ll be cooking the pernil … and we’ll season it Puerto Rican style with some garlic, adobo and other seasonings.”

Over 120 years ago, the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and the Boricuas – the name the people affectionately call themselves– have adopted traditional American holidays but put their own spin on them.

That spin points to the strong sense of cultural identity, which a researcher says shows how difficult the decision for statehood will be.

On Wednesday, the smell of warm spices filled the small kitchen, while four cooks chopped peppers and ham and poured seasoned pasta into clear plastic tubs. The kitchen staff laughed as the cooks and Ortiz made jabs at the head chef, Curtis Edgar. Meanwhile, Edgar served a plate of tostones, made from fried green plantains, with grilled meat to the small lunch crowd in the restaurant.

Roughly 200 pounds of turkey will be warmed Thursday morning around 7 a.m., Ortiz said. Thanksgiving meals will be served from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Ortiz has seen an increase in the people coming for the free meal, a factor of the economic times. And, since a fire in early November left the Salvation Army— a place where people go for free meals— in ruins, he expects even more people in need of a meal to come.

“We do have a lot of people coming in and we’re grateful for that, you know,” Ortiz said. “God is good and we feed them; we feel happy and they feel happier. Sometimes, we have nonprofits coming in and helping out with clothes.”

Ortiz said even though Kissimmee is largely Puerto Rican he sees diversity among those who come to enjoy his Puerto Rican-style Thanksgiving cooking.

“There’s a lot of Puerto Ricans but everyone comes in, too,” he said.

Puerto Ricans have a very strong sense of cultural identity, which translates into their adoption of many traditional American events like Thanksgiving, said Fernando Rivera, the director of the Puerto Rico Research Hub at the University of Central Florida. Rivera said Puerto Ricans adoption of Thanksgiving is significant due to the ongoing conversation about the island becoming a state in the future or separating completely.

“When we’re talking about potentially Puerto Rico becoming a state or not and if they would lose traditions it seems to indicate that regardless of the status of the island those traditions do hold very strong,” Rivera said.

The blurred lines between the island and the U.S. are factors that make a majority path to statehood or independence difficult, Rivera said.

“Obviously there’s a lot of Puerto Ricans that are very proud of being American citizens and they will say, you know, ‘I’m American first,’ ” Rivera said. “But, at the same time, you can’t erase…our native Taino culture… and also our African roots.”

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, will be about celebrating and sharing.

Victor Mejias ,52, has been working as a cook at 3 Sisters Speakeasy for six months after moving to Florida from New York where he was born.

As he watched over the preparation of 8 pounds of ensalada de codito, or pasta salad, the self-proclaimed “Nuyorican” said New York Puerto Ricans celebrate the meaning of Thanksgiving just like mainland Americans.

“It’s about giving back and giving thanks, the same way the Americans do,” said Mejias, who was raised by Puerto Rican parents. “We might eat different food but the meaning is the same.”