At Tony's Di Napoli in Manhattan, Mexican workers hold in their hands the responsibility of preserving the culinary tradition of the south of Naples, Italy. Chefs, cooks and pastry chefs native to Mexico do this labor with zest and pleasure, to the delight of thousands of tourists and visitors, who are enchanted by the tastes coming from the kitchen of one of the city's most prestigious restaurants.

The presence of these Mexicans is little noticed; behind the walls that separate the restaurant's great hall with its elegantly set tables prepared for a fine meal, there is a whole complex structure in which Mexican immigrants are an essential part of what makes it all work.

Their labor is everywhere, from making sure that the platters with hot dishes arrive at the tables in a timely fashion, to cleaning floors and kitchen utensils until they gleam.

The delights of southern Neapolitan cuisine are in the hands of these workers who have, through years of practice, learned the secrets of making good pasta, a traditional tiramisu, or simply how to set and serve a good table.

A great responsibility

Among the china and the casseroles, Tony's di Napoli sous-chef Oscar Flores says that, in spite of the fact that few people know him beyond the kitchen, his greatest satisfaction is in preserving the tradition of the restaurant that since 1959 has been offering southern Italian cooking.

Flores, a native of Puebla, Mexico, has 15 years of experience and is in charge of one of the busiest kitchen in the city of New York, which serves a family with the same careful attention it does as a theatre or movie actor.

"We take great care to do things well; we serve good food – I think it's among the best in the city – and always plenty of it. We think the food must be served well, beautifully presented and taste good," says Flores, who has achieved in this country many of the dreams he had when he arrived from his native Puebla State.

Leonardo Sánchez, originally from Tlaxcala, Mexico, has been in charge for 14 years of making sure the dining room itself is in perfect order and ready to receive guests. He knows every station of the kitchen, because he has worked in each of them.

"We are a family; we all like our work and want to do it well so the clientele will keep coming back," said Sánchez, who is known among his fellow restaurant workers as El Temerario [ reference to the famous Mexican band, Los Temerarios ] because he sings and apparently has a good voice.

A dream realized

Andrés Coronel, 38 years old and a native of Tlaxcala, Mexico, confirms that the restaurant's kitchen is a place where each of their histories is interwoven. Many of them arrived in this country with only their dreams and their desire to improve their lots, with nothing more than their will power and the willingness to work and learn whatever was needed in order to survive and support their families in Mexico.

Armando Díaz, originally from Puebla, Mexico, has been in New York for four years. He points out that every day he learns a little more about the waiter's job of providing good table service. "We work hard here to serve the patrons well, bring warm bread for the diners, and pay close attention to the details that are so important for hospitality."

Armando Tinoco, a native of the Mexico City, tells us that this legion of employees is a family that also form a soccer team that goes out to play in the Queens Borough leagues, where they were declared champions of the most recent season.

"We like soccer as much as our work; we can't deny that we Mexicans are soccer nuts," added Tinoco, who keeps at his work station a clipping from Diario de México, Edición USA with the photograph of the restaurant's team when it won the final of its division in the parks of Queens, where a great number of Mexican immigrants in New York live.

We came to work

Armando Pérez, 20, who arrived in New York 10 years ago with his parents, said that working with fellow Mexicans is a good experience, since they all have a great deal in common. "We know how hard life is for an immigrant; it's good to have a place to work, and help, and this is one of the best. It's very satisfying for all of us, because we can show that we Mexicans came here to contribute our talents and our work even though people don't see us and don't know who we are."

Dreni Kyqykaliu, the manager of Tony's di Napoli, says he is proud of his staff that knows how to take on responsibility and is always ready to do the best work possible. "We are family, and we like it that their efforts are recognized; they are the champions of the kitchen," he concluded.

The restaurant, located in the heart of Times Square, has a clientele that ranges from Antonio Banderas, Mario López and Daniel Radcliffe, to many other regular patrons.