WILLIAMSBURG — As Nanci Caceda was trying to come up with a birthday gift for her mom, Marie, she went through many ideas. When a friend mentioned a cookbook, inspiration struck.
“It was around Christmastime, and someone had mentioned in a comment on Facebook that I needed to put a cookbook together. I started it right around Christmas, and as we got closer to Granny’s birthday, I really wanted to get it done. I gave myself seven months to do it all,” Caceda explained.
Marie, a local TikTok star who garnered internet fame after her daughter taped her antics, grew up in an Italian household. With that came many Sunday dinners and recipes passed down from generation to generation.
In the pages of the cookbook, dubbed “Stirring Up Memories: Stories, Recipes, and Photos of My Mama,” Caceda shares family and friends’ recipes, but one in particular brings back special memories.
“My mom always made couscous. It’s from Sardinia, where every April, they have a festival, and the streets are filled with people and everybody makes their own version of it. My mom learned how to make it from my grandfather, and growing up, I didn’t like it. My cousin would always beg my mom to make it. My mother actually hand-rolls the farina into couscous balls. She sits there for hours and turns the farina into couscous, and it’s absolutely one of my favorites right now,” Caceda said.
The book also contains stories about Marie’s life, including her parents immigration, their move to the United States, and the story of adopting Caceda’s older brother. There is also the story of Marie’s aneurysm and her lengthy hospital stay.
“Almost every story in the book correlates with a recipe,” Caceda shared.
When Nanci surprised her mother with the book on her birthday, Marie could not stop crying.
“I was so shocked. I couldn’t believe my daughter was being so sneaky about this. For months, she was upstairs, and I thought she was watching TV, ignoring me. I couldn’t believe Nanci had such patience and did so much research. I was just amazed at the way she handled everything, and all I did was cry,” Marie said.
On the cover is a photo of Marie and Nancy, but the background of the book cover holds an even more special meaning.
“The front picture is of her and I together eating meatballs but the background of the book is her mom’s passport photo from when she was 21,” Caceda said.
The pair is currently planning a book signing at the NewTown Barnes & Noble location in the fall. The cookbook is available for preorder through Barnes & Noble’s website and will be released to stores on Aug. 20.