NEED TO KNOW
Ally knew she was marrying into an Italian family when she tied the knot with Luke MerrenIn the decade since their nuptials, she has been taking part in their annual summer vacationThis year, the family found themselves in a “ricotta war” after Luke mispronounced the Italian cheese in front of his family
During the DiLaura family’s 33rd annual summer vacation, an evening of cooking quickly turned into a spirited debate over a single word: ricotta.
As Luke Merren’s mother and aunt prepared ingredients for their homemade lasagna, the 35-year-old casually mispronounced the cheese’s name during a discussion.
His wife captured the moment on video, including the immediate and animated reactions from his relatives.
At first glance, viewers might assume Luke had married into the family and was being schooled by in-laws, but the real twist, as his wife reveals to PEOPLE, is that she married into his Italian family – making Luke’s mispronunciation, and his family’s passionate correction, even more hilarious.
“According to his mom, whose parents are both 100% Italian, it’s pronounced ‘ree-GAH-ta’ with the rolled ‘r’ and glottal ‘g’ sound, emphasis on the ‘t,’” Luke’s wife, Ally Merren, tells PEOPLE.
“He pronounces it phonetically and has a Midwestern accent, so his emphasis is on the ‘c’ sound. He says it like ‘ri-KAH-ta’ instead of ‘ri-GOH-ta,'” the 30-year-old adds.
For nearly a decade, Ally has been traveling and going on family vacations with her husband and his relatives. Throughout the years, they’ve traveled all over the country, visiting states like Colorado, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
“We’d love to all go to Italy one year, but it’d be pretty expensive to get all 25 or so of us there,” Ally shares.
Ally Merren and Luke Merren.
Ally Merren
When the family comes together for their annual vacation, laughter is guaranteed. Some of the most memorable moments happen during these gatherings, filled with friendly competition over board games and intense pickleball matches.
“We love to gather in the kitchen and cook and bake together,” Ally tells PEOPLE. “Especially homemade pasta and bread.”
While Ally’s family is as traditionally American as it gets — with ancestors who came over on the Mayflower — Luke’s mother’s side of the family brings rich Italian heritage into the mix. His father, meanwhile, “was the first non-Italian married into” the DiLaura family, Ally shares.
The DiLaura family.
Ally Merren
Ally notes that Grandpa DiLaura was born in Alfedena, Italy, and Grandma DiLaura is from Cerro al Volturno in the Italian region of Molise.
At 101 years old, Grandma DiLaura is still going strong — and staying social. She keeps up with her big family on Facebook, where she saw their viral video, which got over 1.6 million views.
“She rolled her eyes at the comments saying we’re not Italian,” Ally notes.
The DiLaura family.
Ally Merren
The DiLauras raised six children, including two daughters — Luke’s mother and aunt — who both appear in the video. The family has since expanded, and they now have 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Given the size of their brood, there is never a dull moment on their large family vacations – Luke’s mispronunciation of ricotta being one of them.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Luke knows he pronounces ricotta differently than his family, so he was deliberately riling them up,” Ally explains. “He was met with laughter and maybe some confusion. But no one was angry or upset with him. We are all just very dramatic.”
“Any time someone mispronounces a word or stumbles over a sentence, everyone is quick to correct them and make a joke about it,” Ally adds. “We each pronounce ‘gnocchi’ differently as well. I’m from the south, so they laugh at the way I pronounce things like ‘caramel’ and ‘pecan.’ ”
Luckily, the members of the DiLaura family all have big hearts and a sense of humor, always playfully joking and teasing each other — even about something as simple as the pronunciation of cheese.
Dining and Cooking