When Maria Barron, of Washington, was 12 years old, her mother broke her wrist, leaving much of the Italian household cooking up to Maria. “She took my hand in her hand and said, ‘Oh, you have the same size now,’” Maria said. “There was no measuring, so you counted scoops of flour with your hand. Whatever she did, I would mimic.”

Now, Maria has her own Italian restaurant, Ala Maria’s on Lemoyne Avenue in Washington, where she makes the homemade recipes her mother brought from Italy. Both of Maria’s parents grew up in Italy, in towns 5 kilometers apart.