Marzia Bellotti Molatore cooks Italian food in the spirit of her mom, aunts, and nonna
The founder of Bella Cibo’s Italian Cooking Classes just released her first cookbook, Cooking With Mamma Marzia
Marzia Bellotti Molatore is the founder of Bella Cibo’s Italian Cooking Classes in Langley. Photo by Jennifer Reimer Photography
MARZIA BELLOTTI MOLATORE’S love of food started with dishes like gnocchi and pastina—a broth with tiny heart-shaped noodles—made from scratch in the kitchens of her mom, nonna, and many aunts in the Valtellina region of Northern Italy, where she grew up. She’s now based in Langley, where her business of food began with lasagna.
Born in Naples, Molatore moved to Canada’s West Coast in 2003 to join her future husband. The founder of Bella Cibo’s Italian Cooking Classes, Molatore is the author of the recently released Cooking With Mamma Marzia: Authentic Italian Recipes for the Whole Family (the Self Publishing Agency). Her work is her passion, and it all goes back to the importance of food and family in her culture.
“One of the most special dishes for me is definitely gnocchi,” Molatore tells Stir. “Making gnocchi is a family affair. The family gets together to cook for the afternoon; kids are around the table rolling gnocchi with the mom and the aunt, and the nonna is in the kitchen stirring the special sauce.
“I think it’s very important carrying the family legacy through recipes, while honouring and appreciating the ancestry,” she says. “Trying new recipes, making new memories, and starting new traditions is what I want to inspire people to do. And don’t be afraid to make a mistake; perfection is not the goal but instead creating memories that will stay in your heart forever.”
Spaghetti Carbonara from Cooking With Mamma Marzia calls for dry pasta. Photo by Jennifer Reimer Photography
In 2013, when Molatore’s youngest of two children was about six years old, a group of her Canadian friends wanted to learn how to make lasagna from scratch. They got together one evening and had so much fun cooking, laughing, and eating together that she knew teaching people how to cook the dishes she grew up with was her calling.
“Lasagna is one of my family’s favourite dishes,” Molatore says. “For me, lasagna represents my mom. She used to make lasagna from scratch every Sunday, and it’s still vivid in my mind, the Sunday mornings that I had to wake up early to help her out. At that time, I was young and I used to complain about it. Now that I’m 50 I understand the values that she wanted to teach me; now I appreciate those moments so much. I’m so thankful how she raised me and I’m so proud now to live in Canada to be able to share all the values and traditions that my mom taught me.
“Making lasagna is not hard,” she adds. “It takes time, and yes we live in a country where time is precious and nobody has time, but I think what we also learned with the pandemic is that we should make time to spend few hours in the kitchen to build some precious moments with our family and friends. Those will be the unforgettable moments that will fill up your soul. Plus, lasagna from scratch is just so much better.”
Molatore was motivated to realize her goal of writing a cookbook after her beloved mother-in-law passed away in 2018 of an aggressive brain tumour. Before she died, she gave Molatore her personal notebook called “Marina Ricette/Recipe”. She made Molatore promise to do something great with it.
“Her notebook is full of recipes hand-written that belong to her, a few from of her family, and lots are from her Italian friends,” Molatore says. “They used to get together weekly for dinners, and while the men played cards the women used to share recipes and tricks. Sixty percent of the recipes are Italian desserts, and most of them have the notation q.b.—quanto basta—which basically means ‘as much as you think it needs’. Italian moms and nonna don’t share full recipes and secrets; most of the time this is the way to be remembered forever.”
Cooking With Mamma Marzia features close to 70 recipes, from basics (like beschamel sauce and My Nonna’s Neapolitan Ragu) to fresh pasta (including that aforementioned gnocchi). There are those for dishes made with dry pasta, which, contrary to popular belief, Italians use daily. “In carbonara, I will never use fresh pasta,” Molatore says. “Fresh pasta is important in our culture, but it’s definitely not an everyday thing. Instead, it’s something special, something to make with the family and that will connect us forever.” Then there are recipes for pizza, bread, meat, fish, vegetarian dishes, and desserts.
The one ingredient that appears in every single item is “a sprinkle of love”.
With June being Italian Heritage Month, Molatore is taking $5 off the price of the cookbook; she’ll donate funds to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada “in memory of my mother-in-law and the 27 Canadians that get diagnosed with a brain tumour every day”. (June 27 is the national Brain Tumour Walk.) The book is available at Mamma Marzia and can also be found at Cioffi’s Meat Market & Deli, Posh Panty, De Benedetto Imports, Book Warehouse, and Yes Chef.
“I celebrate my culture every day, but I feel so honored that the government of Canada actually recognizes it with Italian Heritage Month in June,” Molatore says. “I’m so proud of my culture and what Italians done to make an impact here in Canada. Those Italians gave me the inspiration to do what I do every day.”
Torta Fredda Al Limone (Lemon Cheesecake) from Cooking With Mamma Marzia takes 30 minutes to make. Photo by Jennifer Reimer Photography
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