Hugo Sanay-Perafiel

Famous for His Lechon

In his native Ecuador, Hugo Sanay-Penafiel's great enjoyment came not from his job as a firefighter, but from the free hours at home when he could cook. He was a family celebrity for his lechon, a dish in which pork is prepared with spices and condiments the day before the meal and then spends four or more hours in an oven. On special occasions involving his grandmother, he would make the dish for 20 or more relatives and friends.

In 1986, he and his wife, Clara Rosas, decided to seek a better life in the United States. She arrived first and got a job sewing sweaters in a factory in Brooklyn. Two year later, when he arrived, his wife's friend found him a job cooking. Mr. Sanay-Penafiel, 41, last worked as a chef for the Wood Dining Service, which fed workers at 2 World Trade Center.

"They lived in an apartment in Brooklyn," said his niece, Jenny Sanay. "It was not really big: one bedroom for him and his wife, a living room that served as a bedroom for the three children. His dream was to buy a house. He was talking to a broker. They were very close to a house."