Meet Nonna Serafina (Sadie) Pagano

About Nonna Serafina

Nonna Serafina (Sadie) was born at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, New York in 1934. She was an only child. Her mother was born in New York but was taken to Baucina, Province of Palermo, Italy when she was 3 years old. Her mom came back to New York when she was 17 years old and worked as a seamstress for most of her life. Her dad was born in Sicily and he was from the town of Corleone, in the province of Palermo.

Serafina grew up in Brooklyn and attended public schools there. In 1956 she met her future husband through mutual friends.

She was married in 1957 to Salvatore Pagano who was from Capaci, Palermo, Sicily. They had 2 children Joseph and Francesca.

Salvatore passed in 1971. With the help of her mother Serafina raised her 2 children. Both children are now married with children of their own. Francesca is married to Joseph Mattera and they have two children Matthew and SaraClaire who are both in college. Joseph married Patricia Ponsaing and they have two children Jessica and Salvatore. Jessica is a 2nd grade teacher and Salvatore is in college.

After Serafina's husband passed, she ran the candy/stationary store that they had since 1962 with the help of her children and friends. Serafina ran the store for 20 years and retired in 1992. Nonna Serafina loves to cook for her family. She enjoys Cooking with Nonna and watching various cooking shows. Serafina is always trying new recipes that she discovers on the Internet. She is always trying them out on her family. She doesn't cook as much as before, but still loves to have the family over for dinner when she does cook. She is so thrilled and happy to have won the beautiful basket from "Cooking with Nonna" for Rossella's Fourth of July Birthday. With all the imported gourmet goodies from Academia Barilla, it felt like Christmas in July for Nonna Serafina!