Just Like Nonna Used to Make

Silvana Lanzetta comes from a long line of Neapolitan pasta makers. Like so many of us, her passion for cooking was not born in a culinary school, but at home – in her beloved Nonna's kitchen.

To celebrate the woman who taught her, Silvana let us in on the Neapolitan summers of her childhood and the secrets of authentic pasta making. Buon divertimento!

It all began when I was a teeny weeny five year old. I spent at least a month of every summer with my Grandma, Rose in Naples. Italian summer holidays last three months and I was bored. For some reason, I pushed my head between the railings of our balcony and I got stuck. Huge panic ensued and it was at this point that my Grandma took me into the kitchen and started to teach me how to make pasta. We made cavatelli: my journey into a life of pasta making had begun.

As a child, learning to make pasta with my Grandma made me feel important. I felt like a grown-up, standing next to my Nonna, working on her wooden board. I tried to imitate every little flick of her hand. I remember my absolute pride when I managed to get the shape right!

I was very close to my Grandma. She was strict, but she also spoiled me rotten with food. We used to go to the market together to choose the very best ingredients for our cooking. She made me strawberry ice cream, cakes and biscuits. She would buy freshly made mozzarella, still warm. She knew I loved mozzarella.

My Grandma was a very skilled pasta maker. Until the age of 80, she would make 12kg of fresh pasta by hand almost every day. 10kg of flour and 100 eggs. 

I have slightly changed direction and now work with gluten-free and low gluten flours. I am dedicated to preserving the rare pasta shapes my Grandma taught me to make and sharing the techniques she passed down to me. I’m also a firm supporter of making pasta with ancient grains, entirely by hand.

As a woman, being able to follow my passion as a profession makes me feel empowered. My family never believed that a future could be built around making pasta, especially with competition from big manufacturers. Being able to do what I love and empowering others to ditch mass-produced pasta in favour of healthy and delicious homemade dishes is a source of infinite happiness for me.

I’m proud of my family’s traditions and have started teaching my 13-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son to make pasta just like my Grandma taught me. I plan for them to be skilled pasta makers by the time they leave home.

Sharing my love of pasta with others makes me feel fulfilled. For us Italians, pasta making is not simply cooking. It’s culture, it’s history, it’s an integral part of our traditions and life. Sharing my experience with others makes me feel closer to my culture. 

I love the togetherness and bonding that I feel with a group of pasta makers in my classes. People soon start to see pasta in a different way. It’s a joy to be helping pasta lovers recreate the authentic Italian experience that I had as a child and I’m proud to be carrying my Grandma’s treasured recipes into the next generation.