Every Sunday I would watch my mother as she made fresh pasta. After the pasta, she would make the Sunday sauce with three different types of meat — pork, beef and lamb — and the best tomatoes. On Sunday, if we did not have fresh pasta, we would have gnocchi, my favorite. I grew up watching everyone making food a crucial part of our everyday lives. Meals were a rite — a true celebration of family and love. You would think that with all that I would want to go into the restaurant business. I probably would have if it were not for another love I had, art, and much to the delight of my parents, I opted to go to art school.

When I was sixteen, my father was offered an opportunity to come to the United States by FIAT and accepted. I came to a totally new world where I did not speak the language, did not know a soul, and where I did not want to be. We lived in Quincy, MA, where I went to school, continued my art and, in an effort to preserve my heritage, picked up cooking with a great passion.

I later met my husband, also Italian with a similar background and passion for food. Only his passion is for eating it, not preparing it. My intent with food was to be able to do on a plate what I could on a canvas. My passion eventually led me, quite by coincidence, to join the Florentine Cooking School. There I taught a noon class called "Lunch and Learn" where I had to prepare and serve three dishes in an hour. I felt very comfortable in what I was doing and I developed quite a following. About that time, I heard about La Rusticana. The owners were looking for someone to do the entertaining. When I arrived at La Rusticana for the first time, my heart skipped a few beats. It was like being home in Italy without leaving the country. Frank and Marilyn were, of course, most gracious and decided to give me a chance. I left elated.

It seems like yesterday that I cooked my first of many, many meals at La Rusticana. With each meal, the love with which it was prepared, I hope, is felt and savored just like the special seasoning used in the recipes. My mother would be very proud of how I continue her legacy.

It is my hope that my children and grandchildren will continue cooking using the recipes handed down to them. That would be the best tribute to my parents and grandparents.