In December, holiday breads and desserts flood bakery shelves. Panettone may be the most popular Italian pastry served during the holiday season but I prefer homemade Christmas cookies especially nutty roccocò, chocolate covered mostaccioli and buccellati (Sicilian fig-filled cookies). Baked in a wreath ring or as cookies, the combination of figs, dates, nuts, raisins and sometimes candied fruits is simply delicious. In the […]
Nearly one year ago, I co-founded Casa Mia Italy Food & Wine with two culinary professionals. We set out to share our love of Italian food, wine and cooking with travelers in a joyful and convivial way. Casa Mia provides local culinary experiences, through delicious food walks and wine tastings, cooking classes and exclusive, food & wine excursions in and around […]
It’s lovely, how I still dream of her. I’m happy to meet Ma in my dreams and celery cut in uniform miniscule squares on a well-worn wooden board and any kitchen knife. Her hands were always manicured but she never wore nail polish. Her nail length was uniform too. Like the cutting board, her hands […]
As an Italian-American I grew up with traditions that arrived on the shores of Boston with my grandparents from Southern Italy in the 1930s. These traditions remained somewhat frozen in time and for that I’m lucky. My most cherished tradition – the feast of the seven fishes prepared for Christmas Eve – involves, family, food […]
Late summer and early autumn usher in canning time. From tomato sauce with bright basil leaves, to fig jam and peaches in simple syrup, it’s a ritual that I cherish. A ritual I have thanks to my grandparents and mom. Mom and I are adamant about carrying forward family traditions. This brings me oddly to […]
I often wondered if it was normal to talk about food from dusk to dawn or at least that’s what it seemed like growing up in an Italian-American home. No sooner was the morning coffee poured than we were chatting about what we would conjure up for lunch and dinner. It’s no surprise that my fondest […]
This post has little to do with Italy, travel, food or wine. I lead Italian wine tastings when I visit the U.S.. One year ago, I led an Italian wine tasting at the Nyawa Funding Group (NFG) fundraiser. NFG is a non-profit company that tackles measurable and achievable projects in Sierra Leone. Before presenting the wines, I listened to Jason Lamin, […]
