Many immigrant cultures establish a sense of identity through their traditional foodways and the French-Canadians of New England are no exception. During the nineteenth century, New England saw an influx of tens of thousands of French-Canadians from nearby Quebec into the mill and factory towns of the region. Bringing with them large families, strong Catholic religious ties and a fierce desire to hold on to their language and their culture, this period of immigration was not without conflict. However, even today, strongholds of French-Canadian descendants continue to populate the former mill towns of New England as subsequent generations have made the Northeast their home. Ethnography, genealogical research, interviews and observation indicate that religion, language and food serve as the three pillars of the French-Canadian community in New England. These three things are the crucial elements to constructing and maintaining a sense of community and identity for citizens of French-Canadian heritage in New England today. Because of the relative geographic proximity to their family’s country of origin, these ties remain strong and proud and today’s Franco-Americans hold ever tighter to those traditions – particularly those food traditions – that root them in a time and place and foster a sense of community.