Description:
Antonio G. Pelaez was born in Guerrero, Mexico and grew up in a large family. When he was fourteen, he immigrated to the United States and settled initially in Newark, following four of his brothers who had already come to the U.S. He got a job in a restaurant and describes starting as a dishwasher and eventually becoming a food server. He traveled back and forth to Mexico frequently. Later, he became a cook at a diner. He has lived in several communities in New Jersey, including Newark, Jackson, Elizabeth and New Brunswick. In the interview, he discusses changes in the restaurant business since the 1990s, as well as demographic changes in New Jersey. This oral history interview was conducted as a part of the Latino New Jersey History Project, directed by Dr. Lilia Fernandez.