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News, stories, and recipes for anyone who loves Italian food, wine, spirits, and travel

Appetito

By training, Chiara Montalto Giannini is an actress and a writer, but she has been cooking since before she can remember. As an actress and a writer, her solo play, A Brooklyn Love Story &#8211; based on the decade she spent living in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn with her grandfather &#8211; was produced Off Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York and at Theatre 68 in Los Angeles, where it was directed by Ronnie Marmo. Currently, she is the Director of the Writers Guild Initiative, a non-profit affiliated with the WGAE that shares the tools of writing and creative expression with different communities. She&#8217;s also a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and the Dramatists Guild. At Appetito, Chiara will share recipes from her childhood and those she has learned through her extensive pursuit of Italian food both here and abroad.

Chiara Montalto Giannini

Italian spezzatino made with beef, carrots, potatoes, peas, and onions.

Recipes

Hearty Italian Spezzatino for Family Dinner

How to Make Italian Spinach Ditalini

Morgan Hines is a New York City-based contributor for Appetito. She loves learning about and experiencing Italian cuisine and culture. Morgan is a full time reporter at PhocusWire and also contributes to Hotels Above Par, Women&#8217;s Wear Daily, Footwear News, etc. She was previously a full time reporter at USA TODAY and holds degrees from Columbia University and Georgetown University. Follow her on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/morganemhines/">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@morganemhines?lang=en">TikTok</a> at <a>@MorganEmHines. </a>

Morgan Hines

The Pale Rosé Spritz cocktail served over ice beside a bottle of The Pale Rosé.

The Pale Rosé Spritz is a Summer-Forward, Showstopping Sip

Lowcountry Bella (Mandi Casey) is Italian by birth and Southern by choice. Moving to eastern North Carolina as a young girl, she was exposed to a whole new type of cuisine like BBQ and hush puppies. As an adult, she embraces both cultures so you never know what she may be cooking up in her kitchen! Currently she lives in both Pawleys Island, South Carolina and Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Her family continues to grow, and that makes her happy because there are more people to feed and love. What&#8217;s better than that?
In addition to creating, cooking and sharing great recipes, she loves to research the history of food origins. Understanding the flavors and ingredients helps her creativity, but more-so, appreciate the meal with even more passion.
Mandi loves to be a guest of events, signing books and donating a portion of her net proceeds to local charities. Her second cookbook, Mangia Y&#8217;all &#8211; Make Everyday Delicious, was released in July 2025.
Please follow her on her website <a href="http://www.lowcountrybella.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.lowcountrybella.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1705416623316000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2qLX1Ag56lHqdrjNXYhkQG">www.lowcountrybella.com </a>or on social media: @lowcountrybella on both Instagram and Facebook.
Mangia Y’all!

Mandi Casey of Low Country Bella on a foam green Vespa in a floral skirt.

Lowcountry Bella

Anthony Scalabrino speaking inside a craft distillery during Oak City Amaretto's early production

Features

Oak City Amaretto: A Family Legacy Bottled

Kristin L. Wolfe has been writing her whole life but has spent the last decade hyper-focused on food. She writes about chefs, tackling the stories behind their inspirations and processes, and the many ways in which they stay passionate and curious. She also focuses on legacy and longevity in restaurants, and what they do to survive amidst the ever-changing landscape. Wolfe is a former contributor to Forbes Dining and has bylines in various national and regional publications like Saveur, Observer, Cherry Bombe, edible, Serviette, CTbites, Chronogram, Valley Table, etc.
In addition to freelance writing for various outlets, she runs Cleavers &amp; Curls Substack, which delves into stories about heritage, ancestry, and legacy surrounding food, while sprinkling in the occasional piece about food-writing adventures. She’s building a new project, called Sensoriyum, which is a culinary, digital gallery or “playground”  where culinary insiders get to showcase their creativity at the intersection of food, art, and the senses. Sensoriyum’s quarterly is called Gazette. 
Wolfe also serves as a writing and literature professor in the Humanities department at the School of Visual Arts and Marist College, and formerly served as an adjunct at the Culinary Institute of America. Her book Office Hours: Tête-à-tête with Student Writers was released in January 2023.
<div>@kristinlwolfe @sensoriyum on IG. </div>
<div>Subscribe to her Substack, <a title="https://cleaversncurls.substack.com/" href="https://cleaversncurls.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleavers &amp; Curls</a>.</div>

Writer Kristin Wolfe in a black hat with glasses.

Kristin L. Wolfe

Exterior of The Little Owl restaurant in Greenwich Village, New York City.

Chef Joey Campanaro and 20 Years of The Little Owl

Samuel Ghelli is an Italian scholar and educator based in New York. He teaches and directs the Italian and Food Studies programs at York College, CUNY.

Samuel Ghelli

Soccer player kicking a ball during a World Cup-style match, illustrating the Italian phrase "mangiarsi un gol."

The Italian Soccer Phrase Every Fan Should Know

<a href="https://www.sarahhallier.com/">Sarah Campise Hallier</a> is the associate editor of Appetito Magazine and co-founder of <a href="https://www.forkboundfoodies.com/">Forkbound Foodies</a>, where she shares exceptional culinary and travel experiences.
She is also a Board Member of Poggioreale in America Inc, a nonprofit committed to preserving the history and cultural heritage of Western Sicilians and their diaspora. Featured in Italy Magazine, The Local IT, la Repubblica, and We the Italians, Sarah enjoys covering everything from cultural identity to the evolving Italian-American food experience.
A California girl at heart, when she’s not crafting food, travel and wellness stories, she’s chasing down the best foodie finds on her travels and sharing them at <a title="https://www.instagram.com/foodiesfromca/" href="https://www.instagram.com/forkboundfoodies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@forkBOUNDfoodies</a>.  Subscribe to her <a href="https://www.sarahhallier.com/about-1">newsletter</a> to keep up to date on the best places to eat, stay and tour.

Sarah Campise Hallier

Executive chef Carlos Cardona brings experience from Michelin-starred kitchens and luxury hospitality projects around the world to Rosselli. Photo credit: Greg Powers

News

Rosselli Debuts in the Former Modena Space in Washington, D.C.

Part reporter, part pasta enthusiast, and always in search of a good story, the Appetito Editors bring readers the latest happenings in food, travel and Italian culture.

Appetito Editors

Anna Gass, host of Instant Italian, promoting Season 2 of the cooking series.

Anna Gass Returns for Season 2 of Instant Italian

Fettuccine with Shrimp. Courtesy of Central Park Boathouse

Central Park Boathouse’s Fettuccine with Shrimp is Made for Summer

I am the idea behind and the co-founder of Mama Mancini’s. I am also a home cook, an obsessed entrepreneur, traveler, foodie, and I love sharing all of it with anyone who wants to listen. I believe passion fuels ideas and there is no such thing as a bad idea or too much passion. I look at the picture of my grandmother, Anna Mancini, holding me as a baby and think wow if my grandmother only knew that all those countless days of me learning how to cook by her side in Brooklyn would turn into this. After 25 years in the garment industry, I decided in 2007 it was time for a change. My idea: real meatballs made the authentic Italian way and sold in real sauce. To me there was no other way they should be offered, that was my big idea and Mama Mancini’s was born. The rest is history. So, I say this to everyone who has an idea: never give up; don’t listen to the people who say it won’t work. No idea is a bad idea and always chase your dreams. Let’s cook.

Daniel Mancini

Penne pasta with sautéed eggplant, cherry tomatoes, capers, and fresh basil in a light tomato sauce.

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