La Festa della Mamma, a day of love and food, is an especially important holiday and tradition in Italy. Every second Sunday in May, we celebrate and appreciate our Mammas and show our gratitude, whether that is giving her flowers, like delicate pink roses, giving her gifts, or composing poems to recite, we express to our Mammas how thankful we are.

On May 12, 1957, the first celebration of La Festa della Mamma took place in Assisi. It was then recognized as an official holiday in 1958 after being proposed to the Italian Senate. La Mamma is the centerpiece of an Italian family and we must allocate a day to acknowledge her responsibility and important role as the core of what keeps family together.

For Zooma and me, Mother’s Day goes behind the celebration, it is a day of remembering all that my mother did for me, all the love and the life lessons that she taught me and that today I proudly embrace and bring to you at Zooma. The food we make, the fresh pasta, the simple ingredients and mostly the love put in every dish comes from that motherly love we, (especially Italian boys), carry so dear to us and celebrate proudly with food and love during this wonderful holiday.

Mothers, food, love…and for a moment I am back in my small town of Sant’Ambrogio, in my Mamma’s kitchen sitting down at the dinner table admiring with big open eyes how much passion and love she always have given me through the food she made. I promise you will taste that passion and love in every dish we make here at Zooma. A presto …

Dino Di Fante