Our social gatherings have always included two things, family, and food. Everything from a baby shower to a funeral, and all celebrations in between included food. The table would be brimming with homemade dishes, family stories were told and retold while new family stories were being created. We went to our Aunt’s & Uncle’s houses, and they came to ours. It didn’t always have to be an occasion for us to get together and eat. Sometimes it was just a Saturday night. It was part of our familial strata. In many cultures and in many families, food plays an important role beyond our nutritional needs. Food can connect us to our cultural heritage, our religious ceremonies, our societal rituals, our family traditions, and food can connect us to our ancestors. The smell and taste of food can elicit memories of events, people, places, and a point in time. Food can be nostalgic and preparing and sharing our ancestor's recipes with our younger generations can also create memories for them that they can pass down to their next generation. Lisa DeChiara grew up in Morristown, New Jersey. She is the daughter of the youngest of the seven Antonaccio sisters.