When hosting a family heritage tour, I aim to recreate the feeling of “wow, this is familiar!?” I want my guests to recall the sensation of being in their grandmother’s kitchen, like I remember feeling my first visit to Sicily in 1996. Images from my childhood flashed before my mind’s eye – – the scent of peas and onions cooking on the stove and my curiosity about soda bottles filled with tomato sauce in my grandmother Lorenzina’s Brooklyn kitchen. Americans with Sicilian heritage seek to reconnect with heartfelt memories of their ancestors. And rightfully so!
The sensation of putting your hands in the dough and eating dishes made with fresh ingredients… of going to the butcher shop and the bread bakery… These moments are profound and conjure emotions that are often hard to describe. You feel then in your body. For me, they remind me of running errands with my grandmother. A happy sidekick I was! And for a father, bringing his adult daughters to Sicily – – moments like these that happened here in this village helped recall his cherished memories that he perhaps never had shared with them before, but today, around the table teaming with “housewife food” he could remember. And he did! And wow, how beautiful to witness!
Thank you Sciurca Sicilian Chef and Valeria Signorino for curating this day! It will be one etched in our guests hearts for years to come.
