Family traditions are important. The biggest one, food. Some of that has been lost with how busy everyone is. Lisetta De Murtas wants to help bring back authentic Italian cuisine. Spending a lot of time in the kitchen as a young child with her Nonni and Nonna, she learned how to make delicious Italian food, many forgotten recipes from the “old country”, particularly the Province of Calabria.
Lisa spent many summers helping “gira la terra”, or to turn the earth in the gardens and greenhouse, learning all about growing your own produce. Using fresh ingredients is key in making great things from scratch.
Lisetta De Murtas- Italian Wife Chef
Lisa wanted to share her passion for great authentic cuisine. With a little extra time on her hands and she was making for her family anyway, why not start a website, share it on social media. The website went live in April of 2020. It started with a few pictures and recipes, then to in-person classes where students can feel and taste their creations with feedback. Each in-person class would be at full capacity with 15 participants. Teaching others how to make their own pasta and bread the way she was taught made her feel like she was preserving the heritage.
Zeppole-Italian Wife Chef
Once laid off from her full-time job in the insurance industry, Lisa had more time on her hands. Without the ability to do in-person, she was able to adapt to having online classes with an intimate registration starting at 5 and keeping it to a maximum of 15 participants. She then added online orders to her website, starting with 3 different kinds of pasta. Now she offers multiple different items from 3 different sauces, 5 different kinds of pasta, 2 selection of cakes, 2 delicious cookies, 3 styles of bread, and of course, pizza dough. Some other requests have been gluten-free options or items that are very specific to traditional holidays.
Customers order in advance the weekend before from her website. This gives Lisa plenty of time to fulfill them for curbside pick up out of her home in Toronto. There are times when her Mom would ask if she needs any help with the orders she has for the week and would reminisce about some recipes being made. Some she hasn’t had in a long time or had forgotten about. Customers have also made similar comments. “I forgot about that, you make is just like my Nonna did”
Starting anything new can be a lot of work. Lisa wanted to share her passion and knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight. If you’re willing to show off your talent, do it. It will take full commitment, patience but the reward is totally worth it. The feedback your customers/clients give will be the confirmation to keep going. Do your research and most importantly, don’t give up.
Feeling honored to have had her grandparents until her mid 20’s, she was able to learn and bond with the joy of cooking. Teaching these recipes to the men and women who attend her classes, will keep the memories and traditions alive. Traditional homemade food has no preservatives, fresh ingredients, and most importantly……Love.
- Website www.italianwifechef.
com - Facebook https://www.facebook.
com/italianwifechef - Instagram @italianwifechef
Author: Audrey Gill, Toronto, Canada. If you have stories to share kindly email: – audreygill29@gmail.com
