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

Appetito

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<div class="py-[3px] whitespace-pre-wrap u-break-words">Mario Traina is a Sicilian chef, gastronome, and educator based in Catania. A graduate and ambassador of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (founded by Slow Food&#8217;s Carlo Petrini), he is the founder of the Comunità Educativa Gastronomica Etnea, Sicily&#8217;s first educational gastronomic community. He works as a private chef across the island, cooking for travelers with a zero-waste philosophy rooted in local ingredients and Sicilian tradition.</div>
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<div class="py-[3px] whitespace-pre-wrap u-break-words">Website: <a title="https://chefmariotraina.com" href="https://chefmariotraina.com/">chefmariotraina.com</a> | Instagram: @chefmariotraina</div>
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Chef Mario Traina in the kitchen with an apron on.

Chef Mario Traina

A traditional bowl of Sicilian tenerumi soup with pasta.

Recipes

The Taste of a Sicilian Summer with Chef Mario Traina’s Tenerumi Soup

Isabelle Kellogg’s luxury lifestyle marketing career, along with growing up in Manhattan, gives her a unique perspective on topics like wine, which she enjoys drinking and writing about. Meeting wine makers and attending wine tastings with the wine community helps keep her on top of trends and changes in the wine industry, which is ever-evolving. She was the founding Luxury Editor at Cottages &amp; Gardens magazines, and her articles appear in Upscale Living Magazine, Luxury Facts and The Luxxe Mag. Isabelle is also a guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, having co-authored a case study with them on French heritage jeweler Mauboussin.

Isabelle Kellogg

Felice Flatiron's soaring dining room was designed to highlight the restaurant's expansive Italian wine collection. Photo courtesy of SA Hospitality Group

Features

A Look Inside Felice’s Flatiron Take-Over

Rosa is a New Jersey–based travel content creator and writer whose passion for travel shines through every story she shares. With a focus on discovering destinations through their culinary traditions, she believes food is one of the most authentic ways to experience a place and connect with its culture. Through her writing and content, she inspires others to travel with curiosity, embrace local flavors, and create meaningful experiences around the world. Follow her adventures on social media at <a title="https://www.instagram.com/RosaAlexC" href="https://www.instagram.com/RosaAlexC">@RosaAlexC</a>.

Rosa Castillo

Panoramic views of Norcia Umbria. Photo Courtesy Vespasia

Travel

Vespasia: Norcia’s Michelin-Starred Taste of Umbria

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

Frozen Coco Caffè espresso cocktail served in a tall glass beside a bottle of Galliano Espresso.

Cocktails

Coco Caffè is the Frozen Espresso Cocktail of the Summer

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

Chef Stefano Secchi sitting outside the entrance to Massara restaurant in New York City.

News

Chef Stefano Secchi and His Team Return to Massara’s OG Broadway Location

<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

Candice Guardino performs on stage during her one-woman comedy show Italian Bred.

Comedian Candice Guardino Shares the Stories Behind Italian Bred

Justin Patulli is a food and travel writer with a lifelong passion for his Italian heritage. From Italy’s most famous cities, landmarks, and dishes to its best-kept secrets, he brings the heart of Italy and its diaspora to life through storytelling. His writing inspires readers to embrace the Italian experience in its entirety. You can find his work on <a title="https://muckrack.com/justin-patulli/portfolio" href="https://muckrack.com/justin-patulli/portfolio">Muck Rack</a> and follow him on <a title="https://www.instagram.com/discover.olive.italy/" href="https://www.instagram.com/discover.olive.italy/">Instagram</a>.

Justin Patulli

Bowl of pesto alla Trapanese made with cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, toasted almonds, basil, and Pecorino cheese

A Taste of Sicily:  Easy Pesto alla Trapanese with Sundried Tomatoes

<pre>Rob LeDonne is a humor and culture writer whose work can be found in
Billboard, The New York Times, The Guardian, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and
Interview. He lives in Brooklyn and is of Neapolitan and Sicilian
descent.

Learn more about Rob at his <a href="http://robledonne.com/">website.</a></pre>

Rob LeDonne

Mercato di Bellina Italian gift basket with pasta, olive oil, pesto, taralli, tomatoes and specialty pantry items.

Guides

The Italian Summer Food and Drink Gift Guide

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.

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