About the Book

The figure of the nonna has become synonymous with Italian cooking. She’s the no-nonsense gatekeeper of authentic recipes, passing wisdom down from generation to generation, feeding them with nutritious, wholesome, and delicious food, and bringing everyone together on Sundays. There is an abundance of this all-encompassing figure in Italian cooking: the nonnas who run popular restaurants, the nonnas dominating TikTok, and the nonnas of Bari who churn out orecchiette on La Via delle Orecchiette. You could even argue that this figure has become a bit of a commercialised caricature today, with images of nonnas appearing on pasta packets, jars of sauce, and even advertisements. But whatever you think about this image, make no mistake – for many Italians, our culinary palate is indeed shaped by our nonnas. I would not be the chef I am today – celebrating Italian cuisine, creating recipes, or introducing the world to our way of life – if it wasn’t for my nonna.