Italian-born mom and cook, 73, dazzles social media with homemade meals: 'This is my kitchen'

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Italian-born cook shows off bread she's making

Anna Prezio, a 73-year-old Italian-born California woman who has made a name for herself with social media videos showing her cooking her native country's cuisine, tells Fox News Digital what bread she's making for her son.

Anna Lombardi Prezio can't believe the attention she's receiving.

The 73-year-old Italian-born mother of three has found a loyal and surprising – to her, at least – legion of followers since she started posting her cooking videos on social media last November. (See the video at the top of this article, and another one a few lines down.)

The interest is growing.

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Known on social media as "That Lady Anna," Prezio has roughly 192,000 subscribers on YouTube right now and over 500,000 followers combined on Instagram and TikTok.

With classic crooners like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin providing her background music, Prezio cooks an array of Italian meals on video that are condensed into short, one-minute reels that are widely shared. 

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From osso buco and pork Milanese to pasta and calzones, Prezio just keeps cooking, presenting her dishes to the world two to three times per week.

On the day Fox News Digital spoke with her, Prezio was making bread to bring to her youngest son in San Diego, about an hour away from her California home.

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It's at home in the kitchen where Prezio makes all the videos, which started because of her love of food – and of entertaining.

"We love to entertain – love, love, love," Prezio told Fox News Digital.

She frequently cooks authentic Italian meals for friends and visitors.

Anna Prezio holds a loaf of bread she was making during her interview with Fox News Digital. (Fox News Digital)

Last year, a client of Prezio's youngest son, Reno, sought one of her recipes. Prezio was happy to oblige.

"But the best way is for her to see the way I make them," Prezio said, recalling her conversation with son Reno.

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That's when he suggested sharing the video online.

"This is my setup. This is my kitchen."

"We did the first video and then people were leaving messages saying, 'How can we have another recipe? Can you do another recipe?'" Prezio said. "That's how everything started."

Prezio said she's "still in shock" that her posts have garnered so much interest.

She's been asked more than once about teaching cooking classes.

"But this is my setup. This is my kitchen," she said, admitting that she wished it was big enough to accommodate more people.

Prezio is all smiles as she makes her gnocchi in a video posted and shared on social media. (Anna Prezio/@ThatLadyAnna)

Prezio's videos are a family affair. "Everybody has a role in it," she said.

Son Reno posts the videos. Oldest son Tim will make "a recipe or two" if he has time. And her daughter, Sonia, "writes down the recipes."

Even her three Dobermans get involved.

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"My dogs, they wait for food," she said, laughing.

Prezio was born in the south of Italy and was just 14 when she moved to Canada, where her father's sister lived at the time. 

Already she has three turkeys, plus ham, corn, peas and potatoes.

Eventually, she escaped the cold and moved to California in 2005.

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Her family celebrates two Thanksgivings – in honor of Canada and the United States. 

Prezio said this year's feast will be "a little bit smaller," about 15 people in all. But she's already got three turkeys, plus ham, corn, peas and potatoes.

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She'll also be entertaining two guests from San Francisco — so she's planning to add some authentic Italian cuisine by making lasagna and gnocchi as well.