Building a culinary business follows a similar pattern. With food and language as fundamentals, I’ve whipped up a career that brings fresh discoveries and experiences every day.

For me, Italian regional cooking is both a professional specialty and a deeply ingrained style of cooking. Day in, day out, it’s part of my life and the focus of Tavola Talk, my new blog about the pleasures of eating Italian anywhere.

My work as an author of cookbooks calls for a regimen of research, recipe development and testing, and writing that is (I hope) clear and evocative. Articles and posts for magazines, newspapers and online publications demand the same skills, whether the topic is a particular dish, a culinary destination or a chef’s techniques.

I relish teaching participation and demo-style cooking classes. Sharing techniques and knowledge with students who are interested in the same things as me is not only energizing, but the interaction feeds the rest of my work.  I find out which recipes people love and invariably come home with ideas on improving a dish or creating a new one.

Also in my culinary business mix: writing public relations and marketing materials to educate consumers about foods that deserve a larger audience. Most often, these are artisanal Italian products.

For more details on my professional endeavors and background, check out my bio—and I hope you'll contact me with a food question, recipe idea or comment.