About nonno Bruno

I was born in Patrica (Frosinone) about 1500 feet above the sea level, which is located just 65 miles south of Rome in Italy. I immigrated to the United States in Michigan when I was 19 years old, with my mother and father .We moved in with my uncle my mother’s brother, he had 3 sons and one was the owner of an Italian Restaurant. I went to work with my cousins at his restaurant (Como Pizzeria); and I learned the business. I then went to work in the factory (GM) like most of the Italians. I worked there for three years. During the same time my brother and sister immigrated to the USA. We opened our first restaurant called Marina Pizzeria Restaurant in 1971. We learned from our mother the art of cooking, she was a good cook with the skills she learned from her mother. She was in the kitchen all the time preparing food, baking bread, cookies and all the goodies. The kitchen is the heart of the Italian home, where the members of the family exchange ideas, news good or bad. This is where guests gather and we entertain. The kitchen is where all the women spend most of the time planning and preparing meals for the family. When we asked our mother to measure the quantity in the preparation a dish she would reply un pizzico (pinch) pieno di mano (hand full) con occhi (with the eyes) She would judge simply by feeling if the mixture was right.  When a guest came to visit, food was ready in a manner of minutes and my mother always asked to mangia mangia (eat eat). The food in the Italian family is an expression of love.  She was pushing for more all the time, little more, little more, it is good mangia. Our family makes their own tomato paste, tomato puree, sausages, prociutto, olive oil, wine etc.
I learned how to cook when I was in my teens, my aunt owned a Pizzeria in this little town in the (Lepini) mountains (Patrica) it was open just in the summer, the tourist time.  My cousin (he owns a restaurant not too far from me) and I went to work in it, together we made souse, suppli’ and all the other dishes and duty the restaurant required. So my passion for the restaurant was there all the time. Now I have my own family 2 sons gemelli (twins)  a grandson and 2 granddaughters,  my grand son Caleb tells me he want to be a chef like Emiril. He has books about cooking, utensils and I built for him a stove and refrigerator for him to play chef. My wife is a good cook but she likes when I cook all my Italian food .The ingredients are simple, olive oil garlic, some are from my garden like basil, aromatic herbs vegetable etc.

Buon Appetito
Bruno
                                    

                                CHI MANGIA ALL’ITALIANA MAGIA BENE
                                            (Those who eat Italian eat well)