Some people might argue that the best thing about people migrating to the United States from Europe is that they bring their cooking talents with them.
Sam Tenney / The CitizenNorma Leonardi Leone and Elmerina Leonardi Parkman, authors of “From Nonnie's Italian Kitchen,” sit at Green Shutters Restaurant during a signing of the 20th anniversary edition of the book.
Decades ago, 14-year-old Angelo Leonardi immigrated here from Italy with some other family members. At the same time, Mary Baldini was growing up in her birthplace of Ithaca, herself the daughter of two Italian immigrants.
As young adults, Angelo and Mary met, fell in love and were married. They had five children, so Mary's evenings were usually spent preparing large Italian meals for her family.
More than 40 years later, two of the couple's children, Elmerina and Norma, decided to continue Mary's culinary legacy by publishing a cookbook, “From Nonnie's Italian Kitchen” (Lion Press, Oct. 1988), in order to preserve her recipes for her grandchildren.
Earlier this month, Elmerina Leonardi Parkman and Norma Leonardi Leone celebrated the 20-year anniversary of the cookbook's publishing by selling signed copies at Green Shutters restaurant, which is owned by their brother, Robert Leonardi.
“Her grandchildren all called her ‘Nonnie,' which is an Italian term of affection like ‘Grandma' or something,” Elmerina Parkman said in a telephone interview from her home in Kensington, Md.
When she and sister Norma were growing up, she continued, her mother taught them to cook mainly out of necessity.
“Since she had five children, and it was before all the modern conveniences now, she would have us all help her in the kitchen,” she recalled, noting Nonnie would have the children perform tasks like washing lettuce, making pasta dough and chopping vegetables.
As Nonnie aged, and became quite known for her culinary talents, the sisters got the idea of writing a cookbook.
“Most of the things she made were family recipes, so we wanted a way to preserve them,” Elmerina said.
But according to their brother, Robert, putting the cookbook together proved to be more difficult than the sisters had imagined.
“My mother cooked by sight, feel, smell and texture; she didn't really have an idea of the quantities that went into something,” he said, noting that his sisters spent about two years perfecting the recipes with Nonnie.
“She kept changing her mind about what was in them. She'd give my sisters a recipe, then call the next day and say 'Oh, I meant to say half a cup instead of one cup of flour' or something,” he said with a laugh.
The finished product, though, has some almost legendary dishes.
The cookbook is divided into nine sections that include soups, sandwiches and pizzas, pasta and sauces, salads, sweets and a special chapter devoted to holiday menus.
Robert, owner of Green Shutters, said that his restaurant uses many of his mother's secrets daily.
“We use her recipe in our Italian dressing, in our sauces, lasagna, pretty much all the Italian items we carry,” he explained.
Both sisters agreed that one of their favorite recipes is for string-bean casserole.
“My favorite memory is that she taught us that cooking is really fun and something that families can do together,” Norma said from her Rochester home.
“The gnocchi recipes are great too - that's one you have to do together, because it requires hand-rolling each piece,” she said about the Italian-style dumplings.
In fact, Nonnie was thinking about food up until the moment she passed away.
After suffering a heart attack, she was rushed to the hospital, and Norma immediately went to her mother's bedside.
“She said, 'You don't need to stay here,'” Norma recalled. “'Your sister is coming, and I want to make her some string-beans, so I need you to go to the store and get some.'
“Those were the last words she ever spoke,” Norma said. “It's what she'd done her entire life; I think she died happy because she was thinking about food.”
If you read
What: “From Nonnie's Italian Kitchen”
Who: Elmerina Leonardi Parkman and Norma Leonardi Leone
Publisher: Lion Press
Cost: $12.95 for one copy; $10.95 per copy for two or more; shipping is $4 for the first copy and $1 for each additional copy, and 8 percent sales tax is required for state residents
Where to find: Green Shutters in Owasco, online at www.lion-press.com or by mail from Lion Press, PO Box 92541, Rochester NY 14692
As young adults, Angelo and Mary met, fell in love and were married. They had five children, so Mary's evenings were usually spent preparing large Italian meals for her family.
More than 40 years later, two of the couple's children, Elmerina and Norma, decided to continue Mary's culinary legacy by publishing a cookbook, “From Nonnie's Italian Kitchen” (Lion Press, Oct. 1988), in order to preserve her recipes for her grandchildren.
Earlier this month, Elmerina Leonardi Parkman and Norma Leonardi Leone celebrated the 20-year anniversary of the cookbook's publishing by selling signed copies at Green Shutters restaurant, which is owned by their brother, Robert Leonardi.
“Her grandchildren all called her ‘Nonnie,' which is an Italian term of affection like ‘Grandma' or something,” Elmerina Parkman said in a telephone interview from her home in Kensington, Md.
When she and sister Norma were growing up, she continued, her mother taught them to cook mainly out of necessity.
“Since she had five children, and it was before all the modern conveniences now, she would have us all help her in the kitchen,” she recalled, noting Nonnie would have the children perform tasks like washing lettuce, making pasta dough and chopping vegetables.
As Nonnie aged, and became quite known for her culinary talents, the sisters got the idea of writing a cookbook.
“Most of the things she made were family recipes, so we wanted a way to preserve them,” Elmerina said.
But according to their brother, Robert, putting the cookbook together proved to be more difficult than the sisters had imagined.
“My mother cooked by sight, feel, smell and texture; she didn't really have an idea of the quantities that went into something,” he said, noting that his sisters spent about two years perfecting the recipes with Nonnie.
“She kept changing her mind about what was in them. She'd give my sisters a recipe, then call the next day and say 'Oh, I meant to say half a cup instead of one cup of flour' or something,” he said with a laugh.
The finished product, though, has some almost legendary dishes.
The cookbook is divided into nine sections that include soups, sandwiches and pizzas, pasta and sauces, salads, sweets and a special chapter devoted to holiday menus.
Robert, owner of Green Shutters, said that his restaurant uses many of his mother's secrets daily.
“We use her recipe in our Italian dressing, in our sauces, lasagna, pretty much all the Italian items we carry,” he explained.
Both sisters agreed that one of their favorite recipes is for string-bean casserole.
“My favorite memory is that she taught us that cooking is really fun and something that families can do together,” Norma said from her Rochester home.
“The gnocchi recipes are great too - that's one you have to do together, because it requires hand-rolling each piece,” she said about the Italian-style dumplings.
In fact, Nonnie was thinking about food up until the moment she passed away.
After suffering a heart attack, she was rushed to the hospital, and Norma immediately went to her mother's bedside.
“She said, 'You don't need to stay here,'” Norma recalled. “'Your sister is coming, and I want to make her some string-beans, so I need you to go to the store and get some.'
“Those were the last words she ever spoke,” Norma said. “It's what she'd done her entire life; I think she died happy because she was thinking about food.”
If you read
What: “From Nonnie's Italian Kitchen”
Who: Elmerina Leonardi Parkman and Norma Leonardi Leone
Publisher: Lion Press
Cost: $12.95 for one copy; $10.95 per copy for two or more; shipping is $4 for the first copy and $1 for each additional copy, and 8 percent sales tax is required for state residents
Where to find: Green Shutters in Owasco, online at www.lion-press.com or by mail from Lion Press, PO Box 92541, Rochester NY 14692
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