Places That Matter | Latinos in Rhode Island

Ada's Creations | Providence, RI

2. Ada's Creations | 1266 Broad Street | Providence, RI 02907

My name is Acelia Adalgisa Terrero, and people call me “Ada,” because that's how the community knows me here in Rhode Island.

My story begins back in Santo Domingo. I moved to the United States, to New York City from Santo Domingo to have a better life, a better future for my family. I was there for only a few months, but I didn't really like it there because it's very busy, too much excitement, and I didn’t feel it was a good place to raise my children, who were very young.
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Watch this video created by Alberto Genao to hear Ada's full story.
After I moved to Providence, my youngest daughter of three was born and after that, I had a son. Soon after, I started working in a garment factory, but began to worry about not being there for my four children. I found myself worried and stretched with time because I was taking care of the children and working a full-time job. I did not want to quit my job because I wanted to contribute to our household income; with four children, I felt obligated to help my husband who worked at night.

At that time, my mother offered to visit from Santo Domingo, to stay for a while and help me with the children. She was a woman who loved to make wonderful desserts and did so almost every day. When she arrived, I asked said, ‘Oyes, mamá, what do you think, here in Rhode Island, in Providence, there's no place where they sell desserts, cakes, and things like that. Do you think I could make that happen, lean to make cakes and sell them?’ She said, ‘Yes, I think so. I can teach you.’

I knew it would not be easy, but I was determined. We began by making pastries using the recipes that my mother had, and we started practicing in my kitchen.

Close to where I lived, there was a bodega called Cibao Market. I went there and mentioned to the owner that I made desserts, cakes, cupcakes and sandwiches, and asked whether he would be interested in selling my sandwiches and desserts in his store. I pointed out that his business would increase because people would come in looking for my desserts and homemade sandwiches. He thought about it and finally said ‘okay, let’s give it a try.’ He then went out and bought a display case where I can keep the dessert refrigerated.

As people came in to shop at the Cibao, they saw and bought the desserts and the cupcakes that I had made, and word spread that there was a bodega in town selling traditional Dominican desserts. And that is how my business took off.

I baked pastries every day, cut them up into slices and sold them that way. But soon, I asked myself, why don't I sell my cakes whole for birthday parties? And people liked that idea that idea and started buying them for their birthdays, parties, weddings, baptisms. The word continued to spread about what I was doing and so, from mouth to mouth, the word spread and my business grew.
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