{"id":11678,"date":"2026-01-28T10:08:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T16:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/latin-american-caribbean-studies\/?p=11678"},"modified":"2026-03-23T11:58:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:58:56","slug":"cocina-libre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/latin-american-caribbean-studies\/cocina-libre\/","title":{"rendered":"Cocina Libre: Building Community through Immigrant Stories and Food Cultures"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Flyer<\/p>\n

Thursday February 26
\n6:00 pm – 7:30 pm<\/p>\n

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
\nLubar Entrepreneurship Center* atrium
\n2100 E. 51ÁÔÆæ., Milwaukee WI (entrance off Maryland Ave.)
\n*Not Lubar Hall. See below for map with suggested parking<\/em><\/p>\n

Free and open to the public
\nRSVP below<\/strong> by February 19<\/strong> so we can gauge interest<\/p>\n

Cocina Libre: Building Community through Immigrant Stories & Food Cultures<\/h2>\n

Join us for an evening of food, film, and connection as we host professor and licensed therapist Julia Roncoroni (University of Denver; Cocina Libre<\/a> founder) and Chef Gregory Le\u00f3n (Amilinda restaurant<\/a>, Milwaukee). Both speakers grew up in Latin America and prioritize the sharing of food cultures as a way to build belonging and connection in their local communities. Attendees will watch a short documentary (40 min.) about Cocina Libre\u2019s impact on chef participants; hear directly from Dr. Julia and Chef Greg about their work; and get to sample light appetizers from Chef Greg\u2019s Amilinda offerings!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Speaker Dr. Julia Roncoroni<\/strong> (she\/her) is an immigrant from Argentina, a licensed psychologist, and a tenured associate professor<\/a> at the University of Denver. In Denver she founded the organization Cocina Libre<\/a> to create space for stories that nourish, challenge, and connect us\u2014stories of migration, struggle, joy, and collective strength. Her work is grounded in liberation psychology and driven by a commitment to justice, healing, and cultural pride.<\/p>\n

At the University of Denver she leads the Health Disparities Research Lab, which builds community partnerships focused on culturally sensitive health promotion. Learn more about Professor Roncoroni\u2019s clinical work and psychological research at the 51ÁÔÆæ Psychology Research Colloquium on Friday, February 27 (3pm in Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex, room 1150).<\/p>\n

Speaker Chef Gregory Le\u00f3n<\/strong> is owner and operator of Amilinda restaurant<\/a> in Milwaukee, where he cooks almost every night. Le\u00f3n is a four-time James Beard Award nominee, was honored as a finalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2022 and 2023, and was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2024 and 2025. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Chef Le\u00f3n moved to his father\u2019s native Venezuela at age 5, returning at 19 and beginning his culinary career shortly after. He builds community in Milwaukee and beyond through charity events, meal donations, and offering professional support for underrepresented chefs.<\/p>\n

Moderator Dr. Gabriela Nagy<\/strong> is Assistant Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and 2025-26 Faculty Fellow with the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The overarching focus of her research is on reducing mental health care inequities experienced by minoritized communities, particularly immigrants and refugees from Latin America. Dr. Nagy’s lab<\/a> is focused on understanding social and structural factors contributing to health inequities; developing and testing psychosocial interventions to support the health of minoritized communities; and dissemination and implementation of strategies that hold promise for reducing health inequities. She utilizes community-engaged research methods, mixed-methods, and human-centered design approaches.<\/p>\n

This event is presented by<\/strong> the UW-Milwaukee Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Division of Community Empowerment and Institutional Inclusivity.<\/p>\n

For questions or access needs, please contact clacs@uwm.edu.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

REGISTRATION: \r\n\r\nThank you for your interest! Registration for this event has closed. Please contact Monica VanBladel (vanblade@uwm.edu) with any questions.<\/p>\n

Map and directions<\/h2>\n

This event will take place in the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center (LEC), which shares a building with the UW-Milwaukee Welcome Center. The building entrance is off of Maryland Ave. Be careful not to accidentally go to Lubar Hall.<\/p>\n

Paid hourly parking is available through 51ÁÔÆæ garages at either Lubar Garage (circled below) or the 51ÁÔÆæ Student Union Garage (entrance off of westbound 51ÁÔÆæ.; building access to walk through Student Union toward LEC).<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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