Growing up in an Italian home, I intently watched my mother and grandmother (pictured right) cook wonderful meals for family and friends. They had no culinary training, but really knew how to cook. They knew “food science” and “flavor affinities,” but didn’t call it that. Recipes weren’t written down but came from oral tradition and observation.

With very rare exceptions, we always ate dinner as a family, and we never skipped a Sunday.  That’s just the way it was.  The kitchen was the center of the home and culture.  It’s where you ate; it’s where you had friends for cake and coffee, and it’s just where you hung out.

When I was in college I told my parents I wanted to go to Culinary School. Their response: you have a capa fresca. Which means a “fresh head.” This is an Italian idiom that loosely translates to “you have big ideas.” It was not a compliment! So, I completed college, went to work, went to graduate school for both a Master’s Degree and a Doctorate and had a long career in the Information Technology field. All the while honing my skills in my home kitchen.

Once I was semi-retired, I followed my life-long passion and completed culinary school at The Hotel Culinary Arts and Tourism Institute in Annapolis MD with an Associates of Applied Science in Culinary Arts. Now as a Certified Culinarian allow me to bring my Italian traditions and recipes to your home.

En boca al lupo!