The Chiasso Family and "Le Peppette's Story"

My love for cooking dates back to my great great great grand father Giuseppe” Peppe” Chiasso, born in the 1849. All children called him Peppetto for his small height and my aunts and oncles were famous in our village for the wonderful dishes they would prepare.
In 1982 a book was published about my village " Monterubiaglio" and reports also Peppetto and some good stories about him. Peppetto was seated by a tree directing the woman as they were preparing a meal for workers returning from the countryside.He always invited everyone to join him for a meal and my grandparents remember that at the end of the day nearly 30 people were eating in the courtyard.
So I would like to introduce the story of Le Peppette all children that descends from Nonno Peppetto. In the italian tradition families live together until children get married.So I grew up with my parents and brothers ans sisters, grandparents and their sisters and brothers that had not married.We were a large family living under the same roof so cooking for everyone was very important. I was always reminded of Peppetto and his love for cooking.
One of my fondest memories is receiving a gift from the brothers and sisters of my grandfather Luigi, my aunts Nena, Olga and my oncles Efrito and Augusto when I was five years old. They gave me a beautiful Barbie doll but after ten minutes I was asking for my pan and ingredients for cooking tomato sauce.
So for my grandparents, cooking was their primary concern especially for their generation that survived the experience of the Second World War.