About

About Nonnina

Nonnina grew up in a small town in Italy called Fossacesia, Abruzzo with her mom, dad, 4 brothers and a sister.  When she was only 10 years old her life changed when her father died suddenly after becoming ill with pneumonia.  He left her mom to take care of 6 children the youngest only 18 months old.  Nonnina had to quit school and stay home to help take care of her siblings.  From a very early age she learned to cook wonderful meals with what little they had. 

When she was 18 years old, she met the love of her life, my Nonno Mike and they became happily married, celebrating their love with a small Italian wedding in her home town.  She didn't have a honeymoon because the very next day she got on a boat for Canada, leaving behind her new husband (don't worry, only for the time being - it ends happily).  Nonnina and Nonno would write love letters to each other until the day he came to Canada where they were reunited 4 months later.  Her new life began and with her she brought all the traditions and foods from her homeland.  The family dinner remained an important part of keeping the family together.

Nonnina always worked very hard at whatever it is she did.  She had 2 beautiful children, a boy first and then 6 years later she had a girl - my mom.  The family continued to grow with 4 grandchildren myself, my sister and my two cousins.  Nonnina and Nonno always made sure they did whatever they could to give their children and grandchildren a great life. When her grandchildren were born, she went back to school to better her English (I remember as a child I would help her study her English words!).   I was the first grandchild and lucky enough to spend much of my childhood at her house, taking little road trips when the opportunity presented itself, creating a bond between her and I like no other.  Her passion was to always bring together the family with food.  She has weekly family dinners, and for my sister and I who are there multiple times a week we are lucky enough to enjoy her lunches and sometimes breakfasts too.

When I was about 8 years old, Nonnina was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It was a long road to recovery but thanks to some amazing doctors, she is now12 years cancer free!  After this experience, Nonnina knew she had to make a change in her life.  She purchased her first gym membership and began to exercise a minimum of 4 times a week.  She received the award at her gym for "Member of the Month" because of her commitment and willingness to strive to become active and healthy.  To this day at the age of 72 she is still an active member of her gym.  She does the cycling class everyday at 9am (It's embarrassing to go with her because I can't even keep up!), she does weights and cardio which keeps her looking 20 years younger than she is. She continues her journey of eating cleaner and healthier by adding a healthier spin to her already outstanding recipes.  Every day since has been a stepping stone to a healthier, more natural life and I have never seen anyone her age looking as fit and healthy as she does.  

Nonnina just recently got her first IPhone.  She realized this was a great way to stay in touch with her family and teenage grandchildren and has mastered texting.  It has been a blast teaching her how to use it and I look forward to receiving her texts every day.  She isn’t ever afraid to try new things.  She is my best friend, she inspires me every day to work harder at the things that are challenging because if you want it, then with hard work it will come.  She changed her life around and, I'm not just saying this because she's my Nonnina but she is one of the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure of having in my life.  I would be nothing but happy if I turned out exactly like her! 

It is our pleasure to share with you Nonnina's traditional Italian recipes that have graced our table countless times throughout the years and maybe give you some ideas on how to put a healthier spin on some of these delicious recipes.