VANCOUVER – In Italian homes, the kitchen isn’t just the “room” where food is prepared. The kitchen in Italy is THE room. It’s the place where, between pots and pans, people talk and confide, share stories and tell, while the aroma of sauce or soffritto fills the air. There couldn’t have been a better location, therefore, for the series of interviews that Italian-Canadian writer Marzia Bellotti Molatore decided to conduct with some Italian grandmothers in Vancouver, who emigrated to Canada long ago but have always remained faithful to Italian cuisine. 

In the interviews, the “Nonnas” share their stories of emigration and present at the same time a typical recipe from their home regions, which they refine in their home kitchens. Each interview, made on video with subtitles in both Italian and English (since both interviewer and interviewees speak one language and the other, like any real Italian-Canadian!), is visible on all the social media platforms of “Bella Cibo” that is Marzia’s format made famous thanks to the successful book “Cooking with Mamma Marzia,” which has sold thousands of copies throughout Canada and the United States.

This new project — that Marzia alternates with her cooking class “Bella Cibo” through which she teaches Italian cuisine — is called “Stories of Belonging” and is ongoing: every week, Marzia publishes a series of interviews, and several are already online, such as the one with Nonna Maria.

Born in Bella, a small town in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata, Nonna Maria arrived in Canada in 1957 by ship at the age of thirteen, embarking on an extraordinary journey alone to support her sister, who was raising two small children in Winnipeg and expecting a third. Today, Maria is the proud Italian-Canadian grandmother of six grandchildren, and hers is a story of courage, sacrifice, and unconditional love for her family: from her departure from Bella as a child to her life in Canada as a mother and grandmother, Maria embodies the experience of many Italian immigrants who have built a new life without ever forgetting their roots (below, the interview with Nonna Maria, with recipe).

Then there’s Nonna Eleonora, who first came to Vancouver in 1967 from Lanciano, in the province of Chieti (Abruzzo), and subsequently embarked on a series of incredible journeys and experiences between Italy and Canada, which she recounts in the interview given to Marzia. Today, she too passes down her “grandmother’s teachings” through the generations: she still prepares the recipes she learned as a child—like Christmas taralli and many others—and has passed them on to her children (below, an excerpt from the interview).

And, then, Nonna Elena: originally from Zuncoli, a small village in the hills of Avellino, Campania, Elena left Italy in 1965 with her husband and young daughter. After a stint in Switzerland, the family moved to Canada, settling in Vancouver, where Elena (now… grandmother!) continues to proudly serve her community. She received the “Star Award” from the Italian Cultural Center for her volunteer work, is deputy director of the “Lady’s Club,” and is a member of the Campania Region Board: her dedication and smile are known throughout the Italian-Canadian community (below, an excerpt from the interview).

Well, each of these grandmothers (like many others) told Marzia the many adventures of truly unique lives. “Listening to them” Marzia explains “I realized that their stories aren’t just about migration: they’re about resilience, love, and how traditions travel across oceans and stay alive in new places. All these grandmothers are living proof that culture can be carried in our hearts and our kitchens, wherever life takes us…”.

And what’s Mamma Marzia’s story? Italian from Traona, a tiny village in the province of Sondrio, in the North of Italy, Marzia has lived in Vancouver for over twenty years: she has brought to Canada the most authentic Italian cuisine. Just like the grandmothers she interviews. However, we interviewed her a few years ago, and you can read the article here: “Mamma Marzia’s” recipes conquer North America

…and here are all the links to the social media platforms to see all of Mamma Marzia’s interviews with the grandmothers. Happy… navigation!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bellacibo72

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bellacibo

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mammamarzia

YouTube: www.YouTube.com/@mammamarzia

In the pics above, from letf: Mamma Marzia with Nonna Maria, Nonna Eleonora and Nonna Elena