Eps # 3 Indulge in the Richness of Italian Culture from the Convenience of Your Home

Chiara Barbera is the Founder and Director of Experience Assaggio.  Chiara is bringing Italian traditions into your home and sharing the passions she has wanting to preserve a culture while her Nonni's are still alive. 

Chiara says she is actually also very excited to add that they have gone beyond cooking now it's all about capturing traditions and celebrating Nonni.

In addition to cooking, they have also got, gardening and pastimes as our two latest categories. So yes, it's very exciting, it's growing perfectly. 

What do you think your superpower is, or what do you think other people see you as?

I would say my superpower is connecting with Nonni, with grandparents,  specifically Italian. I think also exploring.  My curiosity and my tendency to always want to explore. I think that it really connects me to my grandparents who are of Italian descent, specifically my Italian grandparents in Italy I just love listening to like their stories.

I grew up with four grandparents and I think they shared all of their knowledge with me, and as I got older, I just developed this curiosity of where they came from and, the culture that they kind of instilled in me.  I think as a result of that, every time I meet a grandparent, I'm like, oh, this person must have a fascinating story.  I would say that's my superpower.

Your superpower is the curiosity to find out more about your Italian heritage and tradition and to share that with the world, not just with your own culture, but share that experience with the world so that they can enjoy what you do.

The Italians, don't just cook a meal. They cook the meal, they sit around the table, and they have a conversation. The meal's finished, or maybe the food's gone. Most of the time, they continue that conversation. So it's bringing people around the table to reconnect because we've lost that.

Here in Australia, everyone is so busy and they might sit for five minutes and eat their meal, and then they get up and they go and do whatever. But, Italians, make their meal last for hours and it's a pleasure and enjoyment. So with your superpower, you bring out that energy, you bring out that experience, that curiosity for other people to want to experience.

And how blessed are you to have grown up with four grandparents, parents, and Nonni's that are willing to stand there while you record them and share their magic of cooking? 

I'm incredibly blessed, but I think you really touched on something, Faye, that I didn't even realize before coming to this conversation.

I think you're right.  I think my superpower is being able to share that as well.  And I think that's something that I've noticed in my travels just even talking to people, I love being able to share. You know, the experience that I've gone through and that's all about love and connecting with people.

I lost my grandfather when I was young. And ever since then, I've been making friends with lots of grandfathers, Italian grandfathers that I meet.  I think one of the things that I love the most about going to my Nonni's house is that I connect mostly with my grandparents.  Nonni you show up, and that's all they want.

They just want you to be there, and it doesn't matter who you are, or what you do, just the fact that you're sitting there and you're giving them five minutes of your time could be more, could be less. They're just so grateful and so appreciative. And there's nothing else. It's not complicated.

Listen to Chaira and how she expresses her gratitude for her Nonni's and the traditions of Italy...

 

Follow Chaira Barbera on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/experience.assaggio

Follow Chaira Barbera on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/experience.assaggio/

Follow Chiara Barbera on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiarabarbera/

 

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