Editorial Note: Lara comes from the sunny lands of Sardinia, Italy, as well as her mother and her beloved Grandmother (her “Nonna”). The two Italian women taught Lara about the secrets and the magic of a joyful and simple kitchen. Now Lara is a mom herself, building her own life near London, where she has been using social media and modern technology to spread her cultural heritage and her love for Mediterranean food within her International community.

*Lara Butteriss, founder of BringNonnaBack*

Q: What is your vision for a more sustainable world?

A: I believe in kindness and unconditional love, and in the fact that we all need to share both with the world, now more than ever. My passion for food and for a healthy lifestyle motivates me to do the best I can to share my knowledge with my community, as I know that there is a strong connection between leading a healthy lifestyle and having a healthy mind, and I want more and more people to become aware of this connection and how to use it to improve their lives. Food is the glue, the kitchen table is the foundation of a healthy family and community, my knowledge, my lessons and their outcome are the cement that will keep the community joined together. I do what I do because I want to make a positive impact on people’s lives, I want to inspire them with my cooking and show them that anyone can learn from my Nonna just like I did.

Q: What was your first step towards building a better world?

A: I have always been a learner (I learned how to speak 4 languages) and I have treasured everything I learned throughout my life, including my Nonna’s and Mamma’s (“Grandmother” and “Mother” in Italian, ed.) valuable lessons. I always believed in what they taught me about food: how important it is to know how to cook from scratch, how to use fresh ingredients and how to share and express love through food. But once I became a parent myself, I felt the urge of applying these rules even more. Following their footsteps was the only option I had to secure a healthy lifestyle for my children and all my family. And it turned out to be the best decision I could have made! And after the amazing results I could obtain at home, I decided to share my tips and tricks with others. The world needs more awareness about love and sharing within the family, and I believe that cooking and food can be a catalyst for achieving this.

Q: What challenges did you face?

A: It’s always hard when you believe in something bigger than yourself, and keeping the faith is the biggest challenge of all. But I remained focused on the vision all the way through. Also, one of the greatest practical obstacles for me was trying to build my trust in a country that is not my homeland, and to get people to believe how important and simple a healthy lifestyle can be. Time and knowledge are great challenges to face too, especially when you are promoting a slow type of lifestyle in a fast-moving society. Today’s people often do not have the time to cook, which leads people to eat fast food or prepared meals; this way we detach ourselves from the preparation process, and we lack knowledge regarding ingredients, fresh recipes, and basic cooking skills, leading us to create even more excuses for not eating healthy.

To those who ask me ‘how do I do it’? I reply: “I am a businesswoman, I run my own language school, I am a full-time Mum and I always find the time to cook from scratch. And if I can do it, anyone can :)”. As a Mamma I would just cook for the sake of it (and the sake of my children). Unfortunately or fortunately for them, I don’t believe in the MF theory (microwavable food) or the CN theory (Chicken Nuggets). Everything in my household is cooked from fresh ingredients and I’m very proud of it.

Q: How did you overcome your biggest challenge(s)?

A: I love making people smile and I bring a little bit of my Sardinian sunshine everywhere I go. Learning has to be fun and my classes are entertaining as well as educational. My students, my followers, my family, my friends, and the whole community… They are all part of my team. I have had the best support so far even when the whole world was on its knees due to the pandemic. Making the most of technology and social media has been a godsend to keep people connected despite the physical isolation.

Q: What is your biggest achievement so far?

A: Winning people’s hearts has been the biggest achievement so far and the isolation was the biggest test I/we all had to face.

As the doors closed in every household, every city and every country went into lockdown, people still let me in their homes via their mobile phones and devices. They let me in their kitchens, they let me be a part of their family and we spent some quality time together. I connected with people from different countries, speaking different languages but all laughing and having fun in the same way. We all felt united and the reason why it worked is because they believed in what I am doing.

Q: What keeps you moving forward?

A: The kind and heartwarming messages and feedback from the people that were/are inspired by my work is what keeps me moving forward. Mental health has such a big part in this project, it’s very close to my heart and it’s something that it’s often neglected and belittled. Receiving messages from people that suffer from it, thanking me, saying that my classes kept them sane during tough times and people that never cooked before, praising how wonderful it was to cook for their family… This is what inspires me.

Q: What are the biggest lessons you have learnt?

A: I learned that being yourself is the prerequisite to catch your dreams and to achieve whatever you wish. It took a long time for me to be myself, accepting and being happy with what I am. I was never good enough and I would always compare myself to other people. The day I realized I was good enough and that my imperfections made me perfect in the way I am … it was the day I decided to make my dreams come true.

To anyone reading this I would say: find your passion, believe in yourself, love what you are good at and tell the world. No matter how long it takes, Rome was not built in one day.

Q: What’s next?

A: “Next” is my favorite word!!! I’m always thinking: What’s Next?

What’s the next chapter?

First of all, I would love for my story to inspire others, and being able to be on this platform is a wonderful achievement. I hope it’ll reach out to as many as possible.

I’m planning on approaching the corporate world via Zoom. I’ll be working on team building sessions for CEOs and their employees. In a similar way, I’ll be reaching out to secondary schools as well. In my career as an educator and examiner, I know how hard it is for students to work and maintain their motivation for their exams, and my classes would keep them engaged and they would help the students to interact with each other.

A cookery book of course would be absolutely amazing, I treasure all my Nonna’s recipes and I cannot wait for them to be published.

Last but not least, I can see myself going into people’s homes, but this time for real and having real cameramen with me following me around. I am aware I cannot do this all by myself and that’s why I hope I can find the right team of people that share the same passion and drive as I do and are willing to help me and guide me.

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The wisdom of a Grandmother and the skills of a loving Granddaughter: BringNonnaBack is all about connecting past, present, and enchanting Italian flavors.