When I was a kid, I was embarrassed of “how Italian” my family was compared the other families in the neighborhood.
My grandparents didn’t speak English. My dad was a pizza maker. I wasn’t allowed to sleep over my friends’ house or outside on Sundays at all. Of course, every Italian kid remembers the horrid situation of bringing a Nutella sandwich to lunch for the first time. I hated my mom’s minestrone and I used to run to the opposite end of the house when “Italy” called.
What an idiot. As I’ve grown, it turns out that the only reason I know any lick of Italian is because of my nonni. My pops is the biggest gangster I’ve ever known. Those Sundays at the house were some of the greatest memories ever. And Nutella is still the shit.
The soup still sucks. And so does Duolingo.
For the past some years, I’ve been working with my closest friends creating videos and showing the world how we grew up. Over this time, we’ve connected with some amazing people, made some people laugh, made some people angry (we’re American, I know), we’ve educated ourselves and even others. But above all, we’ve found a community of people who recognize the importance of family and keeping the traditions of our ancestors alive. It’s about the connection. Spreading that message has taken us all over this country, back to the old country and right back home to the heart of Little Italy.
If you’re from NYC, you probably saw
@redsaucestudio at the feast but we’re still here, open every day. We’ve got a production studio (available for rent) and a store with all types of merch- clothes, hats, accessories, handbags, smell-goods and much more designed in-house or sourced straight from Italy. Imagine a Disney Store but it’s Italian. Come visit us on the corner of Mulberry & Grand. A little piece of home ❤️