Originally, I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect from this interview. While I knew a couple things about my late grandmother who had passed away, I wasn’t sure how much my mother would be willing to divulge to me on the subject. She had truly loved my grandmother, and had been deeply saddened by her passing. But, she seemed happy to do the interview with me. After all, she would need to carry out her legacy, one way or another, why not pass it down to her children?

We spoke extensively of the past, what is was like growing up in an Italian household. My grandmother, and my great grandmother for that matter, were easily world class cooks, and probably could have easily opened up restaurants if they had so desired, but instead they had focused on raising a family. They both hailed from Italy, a small coastal town called Mola Di Bari. It was here, surrounded by the sea, where my grandmother learned how to cook from my great grandmother. And boy, was she excellent at it.

Not only that, but she was a rather intelligent woman as well, as she was offered to teach at several Italian Universities. But, she declined, as she had wanted to be a para-professional. Eventually, she would come to the United States after World War II had concluded. She took night school to learn how to speak English, and it was there that she would meet her future husband.

Every Sunday night, she would cook for her whole family. My mother, when she was young, observed how my grandmother worked, for it was truly a master of her craft. She had this notebook with recipes in it, a notebook my family still has today. Weathered and faded, it contains several Italian recipes, which have produced some of the best food I have ever tasted. Of course, every time we utilize this cookbook, it is a bit of guesswork, as their are no previsions for the amount of ingredients that should be used! We have to estimate, as we were never able to get the exact amount that she be used before my Grandmother passed. It wouldn’t have been much use to try, since she had dementia in the late stages of her life. Watching her forget how she cooked, and who she was, was one of the most painful experiences my family ever went through.

How amazing she was when she was alive! To be able to create such incredible food from essentially memory was no easy task. Of course, she had been cooking for years, and had successfully passed down her knowledge to my mother. My mother, of course, is an excellent cook as well, though I’m not sure anyway could ever match the way my grandmother cooked. Don’t tell mom, though!

Like my grandmother, she cooks primarily Italian food. I have tried to her to cook outside her comfort zone, but she is of the opinion that she wouldn’t be able to do such food justice outside that of her own ethnicity. I think she could do a pretty good job herself. She also almost never says no to home cooking. On more than one occasion, she’s fired up the stove at 9 or 10 at night after I came home from a long day of school or work. She is among one of the most passionate chiefs I have ever met.

The interview was quite revealing to me, and I’m glad I was able to get it recorded. I’m not sure I will ever be as good a cook as my mother or grandmother, but even so, preserving this information for the future is a task I do not take lightly!