At Home With Mary Ann

ected. Food was never about eating; food was about how we celebrated life and life events and making memories. I lived with my family on the top floor of a 4 level brownstone on 69th Street in Brooklyn from the time I can remember. An aunt, uncle, and their two children lived on the third level. My maternal grandparents lived somewhere on the lower and 1st level. They, and my two uncles lived on the next level. The elders were all immigrants but had good city jobs. A huge accomplishment back then. All family dinners were prepared in the lower half-basement area.This is where most memories were made. No matter what the occasion, there were people and food…plenty of food. And to make life more interesting, Grandpa had grapes delivered every fall and he and my uncles made wine. The smell of the oak and the grape is still imbedded in my brain. Every photo of the family at the table has the gallon wine jug in plain sight. But the food was the key. Grandpa was the cook in the years that I can remember him. He cooked little fish that I used to eat with him, he let me play with the snails before he boiled them and ate them with a pin, and he was the master of the Sunday gravy. My job was to walk to the avenue to buy the Italian bread. The heel of the bread was usually missing when I returned home but he was such a sweetheart, I don’t recall ever being scolded. Once we moved to Staten Island, my mother, Antoinette, had to take the helm for the Sunday ritual. We moved to Staten Island right before the Verrazano Bridge opened. We moved there on the old Brooklyn Ferry, moving truck and all. It was like another planet for us.There was just a suggestion of public transportation back then and the Staten Island Ferry was a nickel. Mom did not drive and there was not one store in walking distance. But that did not stop my relatives from the other boroughs from coming every Sunday. I still don’t know how they did it-financially anyway. Living with grandparents and parents who struggled, strived, and achieved more than their parents before, has probably been the reason that no matter what the situation, what the challenge, I relentlessly push on. I hope that what I have achieved during my adult life has inspired my children and grandchildren to never give up, never say die, and know that it is never too late to fulfill your dreams. So that brings us to Chapter 3 of a very interesting life thus far. In the past 14 years or so, I have been lucky enough to travel to Italy multiple times. My late husband Terry and I always tried to attend a cooking class when we traveled. We were both avid cooks but Terry brought culture and elegance into my life so Europe was like a dream to us. The classes were great but it was always about PASTA. I love pasta, but to feed a crowd or serve homemade pasta at a dinner party or family get together, is just NOT practical. I’ve also attended many classes in Atlanta. These classes always inspire me to share what I learn with others. Many friends or friends of my children like to cook with me and I love to share my knowledge. During the last decade we have had so many parties, either themed or ‘just because,’ that it feels like my destiny to share what I have learned with others. Living in Atlanta and coming to know many southern ladies who know how to present food with panache has been the icing on the cake for me. It has brought me full circle- food, elegance, and style. My goal will be to not only teach you some great dishes or desserts, but to teach you how to design and plan dinner parties, cocktail parties, and enjoy entertaining that would usually seem overwhelming. To quote my good friend Sandy: “Logistics, logistics, logistics.” It is truly about having your plan, your budget of course, and your expectations in place. The cooking classes will be just a few people and you can either watch or participate. I will post some of my favorite dishes so you can decide what you would like to learn to cook. There will not be a schedule of any kind. The classes will be totally private and limited to a certain amount of people. I hope you can join me in this adventure and learn to love to entertain with the style and ease of an Italian mama or grandfather, and a southern lady, of course. Buon Appetito!