Author Vicky Bennison will be signing Pasta Grannies: Comfort Cooking, her second cookbook highlighting traditional Italian dishes and the remarkable women who cook them. Based on her popular YouTube series of the same name, Vicky's latest release features 60 recipes and the fascinating life stories of the Italian grandmothers they originated from. In honor of Vicky's appearance, the culinary team at Market Hall Foods will be preparing two recipes from the book: Ninni's Arancini (Sicilian Deep Fried Rice Balls) and Rina's Capriccio (Ham and Cheese Pasta Rolls from Romagna).

While you’re at Rockridge Market Hall getting your copy of Pasta Grannies signed, stay for the Crucolo Parade, a Market Hall Foods tradition that exuberantly pays homage to one of our favorite Italian cheeses from the Trentino-Alto Adige region. Wearing traditional Italian garb, staff members wheel a 400lb wheel of Crucolo cheese down Shafter Avenue. The procession ends at the parklet, where live music and dancing will invite all to congregate. Following a ceremonial cutting into this gigantic creamy cow's milk cheese, enjoy samples.

The Crucolo Parade begins at 1pm Saturday, Nov. 5 outside of Market Hall Foods in Oakland. This northern Italian formaggio is the biggest cheese west of the Mississippi and the Cheese Counter at Market Hall Foods is one of the few shops to bring it in. And when it is gone, it is gone until next year!

The delicious day of fun doesn't have to end there. Stop into Market Hall Foods to find a wide selection of Italian pantry staples and scratch-made dishes prepared by our kitchen for comforting Italian regional cooking at home.

Vicky Bennison is the creator of 'Pasta Grannies,' which has nearly two million followers across YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Vicky's first book, based on its success, has been translated into 6 languages; it won a James Beard Award for Best Single Subject in 2019; and the German translation was awarded Silver medal by the prestigious Gastronomischen Akadamie Deutschlands.