My Nanna would make many different types of Italian Christmas desserts for family and friends. This photograph is significant to me because it represents what my grandparents loved doing: cooking for the ones they loved. My Nanna had many signature dishes, but the most famous one was her pasta. This recipe was original, traditional, and homemade. At my grandparents’ house, there was a garden in the back, where my Nonno plants tomatoes. My Nanna would use these tomatoes to make the sauce. It was a team effort, and resulted in a meal made with love. Everyone my Nanna met loved her pasta.
Like the pasta recipe, my grandparents’ relationship is very special. Both born in Calabria, each of them had a goal in mind: to travel to America and raise a family. My Nonno moved to Canada first, to work with some relatives who lived there. My Nanna stayed back in Italy with her family. While my Nonno lived in Canada, he had heard rumors about a man trying to pursue Nanna in Italy. Upset by this news, he immediately wrote a letter to my Nanna, expressing his feelings for her. My Nonno went to Italy to go get her, and they both came over on a boat to Massachusetts. If not for this letter, my Nanna and Nonno would not be together.
Our family story is unique because soulmates eventually found their way back to each other. Even though my grandmother is not with me today, her recipe makes me feel like she is with me. Before she passed, I was the only person she trusted to give her recipe to, and I still make it today in honor of her.
RIP Nanna ~ February 19, 2015

– SC

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant