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The Story of Nonna Rosa Zappala

My grandmother Nonna Rosa was born 1890 in the area between the towns of Firei and TreCastagni, in the province of Catania, on the Italian island of Sicily.
Around 1908 as a young bride with her husband Rosario, she emigrated to the United States. They settled in Lawrence Massachusetts, in a working class district, which eventually became the area's largest Italian community. She had 7 children, Charles, Concettina, Angelo, Mary, Josephine, Grace, and Stephen.

After saving enough money by initially working the local mill, Rosario and Rose Zappala opened a chicken store, to which they later added a bakery, so he could have a legacy to leave to their sons. As tradition had it, as soon as she was old enough, Concettina being the oldest daughter was designated as the housekeeper and charged with caring for the younger children.

Rose then began helping out in the bakery. To Rose, helping meant doing whatever had to be done, from making sure each customer feel welcome, to helping bake the bread from the wee hours of the morning. Rose added that personal touch to her relationships with the customers, which felt like they were dealing with one of their own family.
The "Tripoli Bakery" on Common Street, in Lawrence's Lower End, soon became very popular for miles around. For more than 65 years Rose Zappala greeted every customer seeking fresh Italian bread with her Madonna-like smile.

I remember that very well since it was me, who first as young boy lent a hand in the Tripoli bakery, then as an apprentice learned the art of baking and pastry-making in any spare moment. She was big on cleanliness, making sure a "tight ship" was maintained in every corner of the operation right up until she retired from the business at age 91. But even then she still kept busy, playing matriarch to her family that numbered up to 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

My mother Concettina continued the great tradition of Italian cooking taught by her mother, but in time added more and foods and flavors from the neighborhood people and adapted them to their family's tastes.
But one tradition remained untouched: every year, around Easter time, Grandma Nonna Rosa stepped in and took over the kitchen. She baked heaping batches of the Amaretti di San Giuseppe macaroon cookies for the young and old folks of the family, relatives, and many grateful and appreciative neighbors. Soon, these became a staple at Easter and various other festivities and special occasions throughout the year.

When Grandma passed away at age 101, she left a family tradition of good food and fine baking that I vowed to continue and keep alive.

When I opened my restaurant back in the early 1980s, I introduced the taste of my grandma's AMARETTI almond macaroons and other delicacies to my guests. They too were able to enjoy this small but significant bit of sweet family tradition for dessert. Then in my Florida Keys, where I had my first own bakery, I brought a little bit of Italy to the Conch lifestyle with my breads, cookies, and pastries. Today, thanks to the legacy passed on to me by Nonna Rosa and my mother Concettina, the tale of the Zappala family, food, and flavor lives on.

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My grandmother Nonna Rosa was born 1890 in the area between the towns of Firei and TreCastagni, in the province of Catania, on the Italian island of Sicily. Around 1908 as a young bride with her husband Rosario, she emigrated to the United States. They settled in Lawrence Massachusetts, in a working class district, which eventually became the area's largest Italian community. She had 7 children, Charles, Concettina, Angelo, Mary, Josephine, Grace, and Stephen.
	After saving enough money by initially working the local mill, Rosario and Rose Zappala opened a chicken store, to which they later added a bakery, so he could have a legacy to leave to their sons. As tradition had it, as soon as she was old enough, Concettina being the oldest daughter was designated as the housekeeper and charged with caring for the younger children. Rose then began helping out in the bakery. To Rose, helping meant doing whatever had to be done, from making sure each customer feel welcome, to helping bake the bread from the wee hours of the morning. Rose added that personal touch to her relationships with the customers, which felt like they were dealing with one of their own family. The "Tripoli Bakery" on Common Street, in Lawrence's Lower End, soon became very popular for miles around. For more than 65 years Rose Zappala greeted every customer seeking fresh Italian bread with her Madonna-like smile.
I remember that very well since it was me, who first as young boy lent a hand in the Tripoli bakery, then as an apprentice learned the art of baking and pastry-making in any spare moment. She was big on cleanliness, making sure a "tight ship" was maintained in every corner of the operation right up until she retired from the business at age 91. But even then she still kept busy, playing matriarch to her family that numbered up to 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
	My mother Concettina continued the great tradition of Italian cooking taught by her mother, but in time added more and foods and flavors from the neighborhood people and adapted them to their family's tastes. But one tradition remained untouched: every year, around Easter time, Grandma Nonna Rosa stepped in and took over the kitchen. She baked heaping batches of the Amaretti di San Giuseppe macaroon cookies for the young and old folks of the family, relatives, and many grateful and appreciative neighbors. Soon, these became a staple at Easter and various other festivities and special occasions throughout the year. When Grandma passed away at age 101, she left a family tradition of good food and fine baking that I vowed to continue and keep alive.
When I opened my restaurant back in the early 1980s, I introduced the taste of my grandma's AMARETTI almond macaroons and other delicacies to my guests. They too were able to enjoy this small but significant bit of sweet family tradition for dessert. Then in my Florida Keys, where I had my first own bakery, I brought a little bit of Italy to the Conch lifestyle with my breads, cookies, and pastries. Today, thanks to the legacy passed on to me by Nonna Rosa and my mother Concettina, the tale of the Zappala family, food, and flavor lives on.