La Bella Vita Cucina
About
Ciao!
I have been cooking and baking since childhood when I learned from my mother and my nonna, both accomplished Italian cooks. My parents also groomed me in their Italian restaurant where I learned everything including the behind-the-scenes prep work of making pasta sauce, ravioli, tortellini, fresh pasta, and more! In the late '70s after college, I taught myself French cooking from all of Julia Child's cookbooks and TV shows.
I returned to Italian cooking since I am a full-blooded Italian American. My family still lives in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy and produces their own private label balsamic vinegar. With their own olive groves, they also have their own line of olive oil. My father's side of the family still owns the original family restaurant in the mountains of northern Italy where my cousins continue to teach me to culinary skills every summer when I visit. Whether in Italy or the USA, I have mastered the traditional recipes of my Italian heritage, from simple sauces, to fresh pasta from scratch, to main entrees and desserts.
I have written a food blog since 2008, "La Bella Vita Cucina" (https://www.italianbellavita.com) and have over 70,000 readers.
I write a food/recipe column for "Acreage Life" magazine and have had my recipes featured in BuzzFeed.
My husband and I grow all of our vegetables and herbs organically on our acreage in South Carolina. I can and jar all of my tomato sauce and salsa for my recipes.
I am a university professor at the University of South Carolina at the Upstate campus and by day, I teach marketing full-time.
I began teaching my children and their friends how to cook back in the '80s. Today, both of my (now adult) kids are accomplished gourmet cooks, with my son opening his own restaurant.
I live on a country acreage with not only my husband, but with a gang of horses, dogs, and cats. When I'm not teaching marketing to my college students, I am in my large gourmet kitchen creating new, delicious recipes for my food blog and for my family and friends to enjoy!
I welcome you to ask me any question regarding my abilities and skills to give you and your friends superior quality cooking lessons.
I love everything about cooking and baking! First and foremost is the joy that my cooking and baking brings to those I love the most in life . . . my family and my friends.
I love the creativity, the community of sharing and 'breaking bread', the aromas in the kitchen, the visual beauty of preparing fresh ingredients into something equally beautiful in recipes.
It's simply all about sharing love and joy from creating delicious food in my kitchen.
Highlights
Photos and videos
No reviews (yet)
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
First, it's very important to listen to the student to understand what level the student is at, whether beginner to advanced. Communication is vital and to always teach with patience. Adding fun and joy in the process is also most important so that the student knows that cooking and baking can be one of the most wonderful activities to engage in.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I was raised in a family of restauranteurs and my family in Italy still operates the family restaurant in northern Italy. I learned from not only my parents who were both excellent chefs, but also from my Italian nonna and my cousins in Italy who instruct me every summer in new cooking techniques that I want to learn.
My masters degree is in Home Economics Education 1994, Iowa State University). I have a 10-year old, successful food blog with over 70,000 readers and have had my recipes published on BuzzFeed among numerous other media venues. I also publish a monthly recipe and food column in "Acreage Life" magazine who discovered my food blog and requested me to write the monthly column. I have been contributing since 2016. I have just been asked to be a monthly contributor on iHeart Radio (Spoony Radio, Festa Italian).