Tony Verdi RI Realtor & Pretty Good Home Chef

🍝 Food for Thought: How My Italian Heritage, Family Dinners & a Love of Cooking Keep Life Delicious

by Tony Verdi

Some of my earliest memories are of Sundays filled with the smells of garlic and tomatoes bubbling away on the stove, the clatter of pots and pans, and the sweet sound of laughter echoing from the dining room. Growing up in an Italian family, food wasn’t just sustenance—it was an event, a ritual, a love language.

Every Sunday was like a mini holiday: a marathon dinner where the table groaned under platters of homemade pasta, meatballs, sausages, and crusty bread ready to soak up every last drop of sauce. My cousins and I would play hide-and-seek between courses, only to be rounded up by our grandmother yelling that the second (or third) course was on the table. I can still hear the scraping of chairs, the clinking of forks, and the stories shared late into the afternoon. Those Sunday dinners taught me that the best meals aren’t rushed—they’re shared, savored, and served with a side of love (and maybe a splash of homemade wine).

Holidays were like Sunday dinners on steroids. Christmas Eve meant the Feast of the Seven Fishes—although in our house it was more like eleven fishes because why stop at seven? Easter brought a ham the size of a suitcase. And every celebration included hours in the kitchen with my mom and grandmother, rolling dough and arguing over whether we should add “just a little more cheese.” (Spoiler: there’s no such thing as too much cheese.)

Today, I’m proud to keep these traditions alive with my own children. Our Sundays are filled with sauce-splattered counters, flour-dusted floors, and kids licking spoons with big, goofy grins. I gather my grandmother’s and mother’s recipes—each one like a delicious piece of family history—and love creating new dishes that my kids will remember (and hopefully pass down to their kids one day). Food is how I teach them where they came from, who they are, and that life’s best moments happen around the table.

And because nothing makes me happier than sharing a meal (or at least a recipe), I started HomeCookingWithTonyVerdi.com. It’s my virtual kitchen where I can invite everyone in—friends, neighbors, or total strangers who love a good meatball. I share recipes, cooking tips, restaurant reviews, and stories because I believe food is meant to bring people together, whether it’s over a big pot of Sunday sauce or a simple plate of pasta on a busy weeknight.

So here’s to full bellies, warm hearts, and messy kitchens. To the cousins we chased, the grandmothers who fed us, and the family dinners that remind us we’re loved. Because in the end, there’s no better feeling than feeding the people you care about—and knowing they’ll be back next week for seconds.

Buon appetito, amici! 🍷

Food has a special ability to bring people together. I find this in my own life, and I hope you will find that this online community feels just as welcoming as a real kitchen. For me, cooking together builds the best communities! Let's get cooking together!

www.TheSignatureOfTrust.com