When Marie Pennacchia saw a couple of Cranston fire engines head down her street on Sunday, she had figured there must be an emergency nearby.

Naturally, her concern went to others before realizing what had been orchestrated behind the scenes. Her son Michael, along with his siblings Sue Ruggieri and Paula Montaquila, had planned a surprise birthday parade for Marie’s 99th birthday. Friends and family cruised down her road multiple times to honk their horns and offer well wishes to the longtime city resident.

Michael said a donation was made to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank in Marie’s honor. In a press release announcing the parade, the Food Bank said Marie is “loved and cherished by her family and all who she encounters for her positive, can-do attitude, love, empathy, generosity, and amazing cooking.” The release called the surprise a “joyous occasion.”

“We usually have a big dinner with friends and family on her birthday, and this year, given the pandemic, we were unable to do that, so my niece Meredith thought that we should do a birthday parade,” Michael said. “So my siblings and my niece and my nephew, we all go together and we just basically pulled together all the elements – the balloons, my nephew knew someone at the fire station and we got the fire trucks there. … [Mom] wasn’t too crazy about sitting outside at first, and once she realized what was happening she was very excited and very delighted.”

On the second pass, Meredith Antonizio rushed up to open car windows and offered homemade cookies. Marie was also presented with an additional gift – a 70-page cookbook entitled “Are ya’ hungry? Did you eat?” featuring her classic recipes, family photos and much more. Michael, who wrote and compiled the cookbook, told the Herald during a phone interview Monday that he carefully gathered recipes during visits and phone calls with his mom.

“It was a long process,” he said. “I’d sit there and take notes and record her quotes that she would say. She’s very funny, she’s a very funny woman. She’s very sharp for 99, she’s got a better memory than I do. Over those three years, I collected 37 recipes from her of things that she bakes, sweets, side dishes, entrees and soups. … A very good friend of mine, Patricia Huntington, also helped formatting the pages and pushing me along to get it done.”

He said that all of the recipes are his favorites, but he singled out her fried eggplant – “It’s the best eggplant anybody’s ever had” – and her delicious wine biscuits. Her escarole and bean soup stand outs as well, and she makes a “great” gravy.

“Whenever my siblings and I go there, I usually show up with a cooler and she fills it up,” Michael said with a laugh. “She loved [the parade], she loved it. … She had no idea what was going on, she was pretty dazzled by it all and really appreciated all of her family and friends. Her hairdresser was there, some neighbors.”

Marie was stunned by the celebration, saying over the phone Monday that she “can’t believe what they did for me.”

“It was wonderful,” she said. “I saw the two fire trucks and I said to Michael, ‘Somebody must be sick. Oh my God, there are two big trucks down near the end of the road, somebody must be sick.’ All of a sudden I saw them come over and they go beeping their horns and [I saw] one car, two cars, three cars. I couldn’t believe it that they came for me to honor me that way. It was wonderful.”

Marie, a Cranston resident for more than 55 years, said that she loves the city because of “all the surroundings,” including the schools, churches and neighbors. When asked, she offered four simple keys to living a long, happy life.

“My secret in life is hard work, patience, faith and good, homemade cooking,” Marie said.