I agree. Cooking (home ec in general) should be mandatory in schools as it once was. Along with other life skills like balancing a check book. Or basic mechanics like being able to check oil, transmission fluid, etc.
I am considered to be a good cook and my dearly departed had many dishes that were his specialties. For the life of me, I have never been able to replicate his spaghetti sauce.lol
We seldom ate out. We had a huge garden and bought meat in bulk so it was cheaper and far better meals to eat at home!
(I am half-Sicilian and can probably recreate his sauce for you)
No guarantees, but if you can tell me what city he was raised, who he got the recipe from, (Mom, Grandma, Uncle..etc), where they are from in Italy, and just the basic ingredients, I may be able to help you replicate it.. Really!