A Cookie 160 Years in the Making
Our story begins with our great-grandmother and her family—a story of sacrifice and determination.
From Ragusa, Sicily, our great-grandmother had 6 boys and 1 girl. Lucia, my grandmother, was born in 1894. To escape their poverty and provide a more promising future, our great-grandmother and her husband sent their children to the United States one-by-one.
Lucia arrived on Ellis Island in June of 1914 at the age of 19. She did not speak English, and so had a sign around her neck indicating that she needed to go to Kansas City, Missouri to be reunited with her brothers, friends, and family from Ragusa.
The family settled in the Columbus Park neighborhood of Kansas City where they worked hard and saved money to send back to their parents in hopes they too could one day immigrate. However, the parents never made the journey to the United States. It was a sacrifice of unconditional love—allowing their children to achieve the American dream, even if it meant they would be separated forever.
Lucia eventually married and had 3 boys and 1 girl named Marie. Marie, our mother, brought her grandmother’s delicious cookie recipe from Italy and passed it down to her daughters, Sandi and Luci. Now the fourth generation of their family, Sandi and Luci continue the legacy of their family’s sacrifices and hard work with Lucia Marie’s Ragusani Cookies.
