Where did you grow up?
I was born in the Italian neighborhood of Montreal known as St. Leonard, but at the age of 3, we moved to Mississauga (a not very Italian neighborhood), which is a suburb of Toronto. I grew up there.
What is your familial or cultural connection to Italy?
My father was born in a small town called Policastrello in Cosenza, Calabria. He moved to Montreal, Canada at the age of 7 in 1961 (with my Nonni and younger Zio). My mother is the 4th of 5 sisters and the first to be born to her parents in Windsor, Ontario (across the river from Detroit), after they immigrated from the town of Guardialfiera, Campobasso, Molise in 1953.
How and when did you first fall in love with Italian cuisine?
It’s all I’ve ever known. My mom, being one of 5 sisters, means I was very blessed with food from strong women who were always cooking. Even though neither set of my Nonni live in Toronto, food has been such a central theme of family traditions and memories whenever time is spent with them. Arrive and there's food. Leave and there's more food to send you off. You can't be or live Italian without it.
How did your passion for Italian food develop?
I always enjoyed cooking and being around food in the kitchen while growing up. I was also very interested in what was growing in the garden, and so the kitchen became a natural extension of that. As I grew up, I also noticed and appreciated the differences between the two sides of my family, being from different regions of Italy. Now, I see food – and those memories, family recipes, traditions, etc. – as a (re)connection. Being that I did not have the typical Italian-Canadian/American upbringing of being constantly around my Nonni and extended family, things like food and gardening have been a way to stay grounded.
When and why did you decide to focus on Italian food via social media?
In developing The Young Nonno brand over the past 3-4 years, food became more and more of a central theme because people want to celebrate it online the way they and I already do at home. You can’t tell a story of a modern meets traditional Italian lifestyle without it. But the focus is not only about food, and because I'm not a trained chef, I want to respect the culture and craft by only sharing what I was taught at home by my mom, Zie or Nonne.
How do you find the experience overall (pros / cons)?
With a professional career in social media and marketing, the experience of creating my brand is the perfect combination of personal passion with what I do (and do well). Being an entrepreneur and business builder in my marketing career meant that I was prepared for the new challenge of pivoting to a different type of brand and telling different types of stories. It was a pivot that now is more than just “what I do” - it’s food for the soul and a chance to connect with other Italians in Canada, United States and globally. Most rewarding has been the feeling that it has extended the family I never had around me, day-to-day growing in Toronto.
What’s the image you want to project?
Anyone can feel like a "Young Nonno." It’s about embracing, preserving, and sharing the values of being Italian outside of Italy. And never taking for granted what generations before us did to provide a better life for us all.
Where do you hope your social media status will lead?
To share and celebrate traditional values and knowledge with as many people as possible and bring them together along the way. I also hope it is something that outlives me because The Young Nonno is a lifestyle, brand and ethos meant for a place where, no matter how much time passes, traditions will never be forgotten. Social media enables that connection and appreciation to strengthen the community of those with Italian blood running through their veins all around the world.
