We Talked to the Creator of Pasta Grannies, aka the Greatest Thing on the Entire Internet

It was definitely my flavor vibe, but I was just as excited to learn about the account itself. Pasta Grannies is a feel-good account dedicated to Italian grandmothers committed to preserving the art of handmade fresh pasta. Most of the grandmothers are from (and still live in) Italy, although the occasional Stateside granny has been known to appear. Each post follows a simple format, featuring, well, an Italian grandmother making pasta. Although they’re all a little different, there’s something deeply familiar and comforting about watching each one. It’s almost as if — in the moment when the grandmother of the week sets a finished bowl of her specialty in front of the camera — you’re back at home, watching your own grandmother lovingly prepare a meal. 

Maybe that’s why Pasta Grannies has become so much more than an Instagram account. It’s now a viral sensation that’s racked up a book deal, a subsequent James Beard Award, and hundreds of thousands of YouTube subscribers. 

I fell hard for the Pasta Grannies, and soon the channel’s regular uploads became the brightest spot in my week. I was hungry to learn more about the creator behind this mastery and ,of course, see if she had any pasta-making wisdom to pass on. Vicky Bennison and I spoke via Skype from her home in London (she splits her time there with a home in Marche, Italy) about fresh vs. dried pasta, the best shapes for beginners, and, of course, those lovable grannies.

How long has Pasta Grannies been around — and how has it evolved over time?
It started six years ago as a response to some research I was doing for a book about general Italian cooking. The book never saw the light of day, but through that research I noticed that it was only older women who were making pasta by hand on a daily basis. In Italy, younger women are too busy with work outside the home and ferrying kids around. And they’re more accustomed than their grandmothers to going to the local shop to buy their fresh pastas. I thought, someone should make a record of these older women. 

People always talk about their grandmothers or mothers as their inspiration, but we never see them. And I felt that there was space in the food media world for ordinary older women, and that we should celebrate them.

The YouTube idea came about because making pasta is such a physical process. You need to film it to actually capture the magic. I’d never done any video before in my life, but that didn’t stop me; I just started recording. To begin with, I posted grandmothers as I found them and wasn’t initially very serious about it. For years, there was hardly anybody watching the videos; just dedicated pasta aficionados who’d managed to find the channel. Instagram was a parallel thing.

But then in 2018 YouTube made me a “creator on the rise” in America. It suddenly started to snowball and went viral. That year I also got an agent. Then the book followed. The book has been out nearly a year, and it won the James Beard Award in May. So that was amazing. 

How do you find all of these Pasta Grannies?
I needed an Italian to seal the deal, so Livia De Giovanni became my “finder.” Livia is a chef and caterer in Italy. We were introduced by a mutual friend who runs cookery holidays in Italy. We always deal through families; it’s the daughters and granddaughters volunteering them. Lots of grannies say no, and that’s fine; not everyone wants to be on camera. We think about the pastas first and then ask local organizations and movers and shakers about who they might recommend. They do the first introduction, then Livia introduces them to me.

Once you’ve secured the location, pasta, and granny, what is the filming process like?
We try to keep it very low-key; we try to keep it as a conversation. We’re not about exquisite photography and lighting. It’s actually much more “rough and ready” journalism; just, here is this beautiful woman. 

What makes someone a Pasta Granny?
We do have criteria. If we find grandpas, we will film them, but by and large it’s women’s work for that generation. They have to be 65, but, the older the better. These women had to make fresh pasta if they wanted to eat pasta. 

If, through arthritis, they are using a machine rather than a rolling pin, that’s fine. But it’s important that they’re making pasta by hand rather than taking shortcuts. Of course, we make exceptions all the time. There are some iconic pasta dishes, like timballo, that use dried pasta.

Every woman you feature is so unique. Is there a thread that ties all of these Grannies together?
Grumpy grannies say no to begin with; grannies that don’t like cooking to begin with say no. So we have a self-selecting group: grannies that are game for a laugh. These are women who have never been filmed before in their lives. They’re adventurous, and that’s why they’re also lovely. They’re willing to welcome the world into their homes.

These Grannies always have a lot of sass. Are there any memorable stories?
I think Maria is one of them. She actually said, “I’ll have to slap you on the bum!” [Ed. note: Maria was feigning annoyance with the camera operator that she was tired of being filmed.] I removed that; I try to keep it E-rated. I think she’s got quite a lot of sass. 

We’re quite careful not to make fun of our grandmothers. The self-disclosure thing is always there. We don’t pry; if they choose to reveal themselves, that’s fine. There’s exuberance, but we don’t get to the point of discovering what really pisses them off. 

That makes sense; the videos are more about the pasta and the pasta dishes, rather than deep dives into the stories of the women themselves.
Yes, the book tells more stories. That’s when we find [the grannies] suddenly will start telling you about their extraordinary lives. That was the motivation for the book; on YouTube you don’t have the opportunity to tell larger stories. 

Ultimately, I’d like to do a TV series — is anyone listening? So that way, you get a chance to spend time with a grandmother; see how she goes shopping and watch interactions with her family. 

Was your grandmother a Pasta Granny?
Well, I am a Pasta Granny. I do have a year-old grandson. My mom is 88, and she is an amazing cook. My grandmother died quite young, unfortunately. She was a very English cook; not fond of garlic. My grandfather was a market gardener and grew very exotic ingredients for restaurants in the 1960s, like zucchini. We take them for granted, but they were an unheard-of vegetable back then. She would inevitably be confronted with large quantities of zucchini in her kitchen, and be like, “Ha! What do I do with this?” We had a sort-of English version of ratatouille; that was her take. Bless her.

Do you cook fresh pasta more frequently, since beginning the project?
I would say that I am a competent pasta maker. I’m not an obsessive, because I don’t get the time to do it. I’m running around, doing the channel and editing and researching. It gets squeezed into corners. I do particularly enjoy using farro flour and heritage wheat flours. Pizzoccheri — that’s a great thing to do by hand. It’s made with buckwheat, cheese, and cabbage. It’s a delicious winter thing. But fresh pasta isn’t better than; it’s just different to good-quality dried pasta. I am a bit of a princess about my dried pasta these days. 

Do you have any tips for finding the best dried pasta?
Probably the price. There’s basic, everyday pasta, but if you want to put some love into your meal, a better quality will do that. There’s bronze dye extruded pasta; it’s left to dry at low temperatures. That way the nutrients stay alive. And if you open a good-quality bag of dried pasta, you should be able to sniff it and smell the wheat still. It’s a lovely sweet and nutty smell. 

And what about making your own, fresh pasta? What have you learned from the Grannies about that?
Don’t worry about the color of the egg yolks; that just tells you what the chickens have been eating. More important is how the chickens have been living. You’ve only got two ingredients — flour and egg — so put good-quality ingredients in to get a good-quality result.

The second point is get to know your flour. Remarkably, different flour performs differently throughout the year, so find a brand and stick with it. If you have a local mill where you are that produces a 00-type flour,  ask them what they think and stick to that. 

Read more: This Is Why Every Pantry Needs 00 Flour

Leaving the dough to rest really is important; it’s so much easier to roll out if the gluten has relaxed (a minimum of 30 minutes, but a couple of hours is even better). It also helps to weigh things out. And it really does help to practice. Don’t expect absolute brilliance; it will be edible in the beginning, but it will get better.

Are there any stand-out meals or dishes you’ve eaten while filming the Pasta Grannies?
Every pasta dish is gorgeous, and they’re always cooked with love. I have a personal love of the herby nut pesto type things. On the other hand, I could go off and say, “There’s the lasagna!” Once in your life, everyone should try making lasagna with fresh egg pasta, rather than the ready-bought stuff. It’s a revelation. 

Are there any pasta shapes you encourage us to explore or seek out? Anything that’s fun to eat, or just something we need to know about?
Any kind of cavatelli, to start. Get little nuggets of pasta and roll with your thumb or your fingers — it’s such a simple pasta, but produces such a feeling of accomplishment. And pici are fun, the hand-rolled spaghetti. It’s very satisfying to have your own lovely strands of pasta. Those are the two I would recommend for beginners. 

Then experiment with egg dough, and get your tagliatelle mastered. And if you’re really ambitious, get your ravioli and start filling it. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring Pasta Grannies?
Just keep practicing. You can get up to a certain level and just be competent, and that’s all you need to be. But once you’ve got the muscle memory and it’s instinctive, then you’re in the zen mode — and it just flows from your pin. But that takes several years. 

Do not be intimidated by all these articles saying, “These are the six rules of pasta!” Nope, nope, nope! Just go out there and have fun.

What’s the best way for folks to learn more about Pasta Grannies?
Instagram is great; I would say that if you want to really get into the pastas, then take a look at the YouTube channel. The book is useful, because every video has a recipe in the book.

Interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.