< Back to Oral History project: Comida y Familia: Mexican-American Family Barbecue & Foodways
ORAL HISTORY
Joe and Lydia Olivares
Joe Olivares and his wife, Lydia, have been married for fifty-five years and were born and raised in Brownsville, the southern tip of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, along the Mexican-American border. Joe is a graduate from Brownsville High and went on to complete undergraduate studies at Texas Southmost College. He has a graduate degree in Education and is a retired teacher from the Brownsville Independent School District. Joe and Lydia grew up on traditional foods of Mexican-American culture and often sourced food from local family ranches and the Gulf of Mexico. Growing up, grilling was typically done on a ranch during celebrations and ranch dinners for all the workers and families. After Joe and Lydia were married, grilling became an essential part of family bonding. Joe is an avid fisherman, and much of what he grilled he caught off the southern tip of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico.
Lydia Tamayo Olivares’s family has been living in Brownsville, TX for three generations. She married Joe Olivares more than half a century ago and together they have two children, Corie and Steve, and three grandchildren. She graduated high school from Brownsville High and went on to study Accounting at Texas Southmost College. She is a retired accountant and enjoys gardening, family, traveling, spending time on the island (South Padre), and grilling with family in the backyard.
