La Buona Tavola

One look at my mom’s old meat grinder and my eyes instantly well with tears. Never fail. How can that old beast resign me to a puddle of tears with a simple glance?  Maybe I can blame it on the …

Trade fairs, demonstrations, master-classes, workshops, films, lectures, galas and special events aimed at showcasing individual Italian territories and the protection of DOP products are all parts of the rich program coordinated by the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles …

Octopus is finally available again in seafood stores in Southern California. In Italy, being able to buy freshly fished octopus is nearly a birthright.  Along the entire coast of the southern portion of the Italian peninsula—from Naples on the Mediterranean …

Italia Slow Tour in the plane of Castelluccio! We meet some people who are harvesting the lentils. The lentil of Castelluccio is a PGI product and is famous as a curative product, high in iron and protein. Harvesting and separating …

When I set out to sell a publisher on the idea of writing a book about Umbrian cooking some years ago, I was asked to sum up the cuisine in a short paragraph. Having just returned from one of my …

The Bitto is Valtellina’s most renowned and important cheese, an incredible local speciality that is produced only here, high up on the mountains in the pastures. Producing this cheese requires skill, expertise, sacrifice and incredible hard work! Let’s go learning …

Autumn is typically one of my favorite seasons of the year, especially in Italy. A recent trip to Montalcino was glorious – the colors of the vines changing from green to gorgeous hues of orange and brown in just a …

Italian cuisine is… first and foremost, quality. The best. Beauty. Richness and good-ness. Breeders, farmers, prod-ucers. Social responsibility. Our culture. History. Tradition. Art. Being together. Hospitality and well-being. Emotion. Love, sensitivity and memory.  Biodiversity. The symbol of Italy. Everything that …

Tiramisu is a beloved Italian dessert. It’s smooth, creamy and caffeinated so what’s not to like? I love making it for holidays primarily because it’s no-bake and let’s be honest, we’re all trying to find and easy and delicious way …

The first snow clings to the splashes of stricken marigolds outside my kitchen window. Only yesterday, their little mop-heads bobbed undaunted, taunting winter, as a cold wind whipped my little garden. Even in November of 2016, to see them in …