DELLA
NONNA
EATING WITH GRANDPARENTS AROUND THE WORLD
Words Tim McGlone
Grace Fekau, sole chocolatier at Amazing Grace Boutique Cocoa Farm.
There's no greater trust...
than that which you place in your grandparents' cooking.
The nonnas and nonnos, babushkas and yiayias of the world all seem to have one thing in common—they’ve worked out the crucial balance of science and creativity required to produce delicious, delicious foodstuffs. My gran included—I can still remember her making an extraordinary array of baked goods in the lead-up to Christmas, and I can still smell those baked goods now. Long after she’s passed away.
What is it about that generation, and home cooking? People seem to reckon it comes down to the old adage ‘it’s made with love’. But I’m not so sure.
It might actually be that in the early 20th century there was a devotion to home-cooking that doesn’t exist anymore—a time before the advent of fast-food, social media recipes and UberEats. It might be that the beginnings of globalisation afforded more knowledge and ingredients than had ever been available, or it might simply be that it’s an extension of the food we know. It tastes like home, because it is home.
Armed with a suitcase and not a word of English, Pasqualino Vaccari immigrated to Australia from Delianuova, Calabria in 1938, where a natural talent for cooking saw him eventually set up his own catering business, famous for its meatball sub.
The Vaccari meatball sub: a recipe unchanged in 60 + years.
Fast-forward 85 years and Pasqualino’s grandson Hamish runs Nonna’s House, an Italian sub shop set in the backyard of the Vaccari family home in Fitzroy North, Melbourne. The best seller? You guessed it, the meatball sub. Using the same, unchanged 60-year-old-recipe.
“The meatballs are a favourite, that’s for sure. They soak overnight in the sugo, which is what Nonno used to do,” says Hamish. “I can remember him getting all of his mates around here when I was a bit younger, having a few beers and cooking in the garage."
“He passed away a few years ago and Nonna actually only passed away last year. I lost my job at the start of COVID which was a tough time. I feel like this is a nice tribute to them," Hamish reflects.
Hamish (L) and uncle Patrick in the Vaccari kitchen.
Hamish (L) and father Vince, in the backyard which doubles as Nonna's House.
It’s still a family affair—Hamish runs the shop with his dad, Vince, and uncle Patrick.
“The thing is, food is so much more than recipes and fine dining and all that,” says Vince.
“My old man had me helping him out in the kitchen when I was about 12 years old. He used to give me a VB (beer) and get me to make the subs. He’d ask me to taste it and say ‘what do you reckon kiddo? More garlic or what?’
“It’s those memories, mate, the smells and whatever. It doesn’t really matter what you eat, it’s who you’re with, and it’s the same for everyone, doesn’t matter if you’re Italian.”
“It’s those memories, mate, the smells and whatever. It doesn’t really matter what you eat, it’s who you’re with, and it’s the same for everyone, doesn’t matter if you’re Italian.”
Vince plays the combined role of maître’d and family historian, regaling guests with family tales—a little extra relish probably included.
The effect this has on the rest of the place is heart-warming. With only one communal dining table, guests who don’t know each other are drawn into conversation. When get lost visited, six or seven separate dining groups became one big table—a pleasant contrast to entire cafes of people on their phone. The power of home cooking, really.
Five eating experiences with grandparents around the world
Hang and Hong
Hanoi, Vietnam
Hang and Hong are the delightfully named, semi-retired couple who take travellers under their wing in Hanoi’s old quarter to teach them the home recipes of Vietnam's yesteryear. For three hours you’ll get equal parts love, scorn and guidance—all critical ingredients of home-cooking—as you learn how to make cha ca, pho, summer rolls, pandan sticky rice and more.
Mam’s Thai Gourmet Cooking Experience
Phuket, Thailand
Mam’s Thai Gourmet Cooking Experience is similar, but with an edge. Mam began cooking her own grandmother’s recipes at the age of nine, but went on to spend three years training to be a professional chef. This one is a mix of grandma and professional—there’s surely no-one better to learn from.
Amazing Grace Eco Farm Tours
Honiara, Solomon Islands
Situated on the black sands of Tenaru Beach, about 20 minutes’ drive east of Honiara, tours of the Amazing Grace farm give visitors the chance to see the cocoa farming process up close, with chocolate demonstrations and tastings. Try the fried crushed cocoa beans—with only a little salt and sugar—cooked in front of your eyes. It’ll be the freshest you ever taste.
Grace Fekau began harvesting cocoa over 20 years ago, as a means of income after her husband passed away.
Not far away, in the Solomon Islands, Grace Fekau has been harvesting the abundant cocoa plants on her property since her husband passed away in the 1990s. She runs the farm by hand with two other women, and makes the all-natural chocolate herself (which you can try in her recently launched farm tour).
“I like how I make it,” says the grandmother in her 60s, when asked why she doesn’t seek any help for the laborious process. “We don’t have any special machines here, we just do it all with our hands. I think it’s better this way."
Amazing Grace's extraordinary landscape, where cocoa farm meets black beach, meets palm trees.
The cocoa farm is the Solomon Islands' first agritourism product — the kind of project that is becoming more and more popular elsewhere.
“I like seeing people’s faces when they try the chocolate because everyone seems to enjoy eating it, and it’s very healthy for you.”
While chocolate doesn't normally make the nutrition cut, Fekau’s completely organic approach means that her chocolate is actually pretty good for you. At a time when organic foods are all the rage, Fekau has shown you can be a ‘grani’, and be successful too.
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