After the first year, Nicolanti, along with her grandmother and extended family, had earned enough money to purchase a new home for her business. She restored an old kitchen that her late grandfather, a winemaker, once worked in. “The even more incredible thing is all these other grandmothers around Italy wanted to join,” recalls Nicolanti. Soon handmade pasta-making classes with grandmas were popping up in areas of Naples and Ancona, inspired by their lead and, seemingly, a common desire to connect and care for one another (the Pasta Granny phenomenon has even made its way to YouTube and cookbooks, making bonafide stars out of its subjects). “The goal is not about cooking, it’s about how special it is to be all together, slow down, and have true relationships," says Nicolanti.