Now… many of you have been wondering  how I came up with the idea to start my Cooking with Nonna show.  Well… it all started about  three years ago when I started college and moved in with my wonderful  Nonna Romana, my mother's mom, in Brooklyn, NY.

The experience for me was one of learning and discovery.  She practically taught me everything I needed to know to survive - it was my boot camp.

But most importantly she taught me how to cook many traditional Italian recipes from her little town in Italy, Mola di Bari, a beatiful little town in Puglia overlooking the Adriatic Sea.

Piazza XX Settembre - Photo: Guenther Wanker

You see... many years ago, my Nonna, a very young widow and with two very young children came to America from Mola di Bari, to start a new life. Mola is so lovely and vibrant that I have been drawn back there on vacation for the past several summers. My wonderful Nonna is great at cooking all kinds of dishes following the oldest traditions passed on to her by her mother: seafood, vegetables, pastas, soups and of course, let's not forget her cookies and her now-famous Taralli Baresi.  From this learning experience it occurred to me that I should not be the only one to benefit from the secrets she has handed down to me - I should really be sharing them with all of you! And why stop at just learning from my Nonna when I could create a forum for all the Nonne to come and share with all of us their culinary traditions, their culture and their life experiences?

While you are here, enjoy a virtual trip to Mola di Bari.

Mola di Bari - Photo Gallery