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Chef Mario Traina

Chef Mario Traina in the kitchen with an apron on.
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’s Carlo Petrini), he is the founder of the Comunità Educativa Gastronomica Etnea, Sicily’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. Website: chefmariotraina.com | Instagram: @chefmariotraina
Features

What a Sicilian Stuffed Artichoke Can Teach About Memory and Family

The first installment of Sicilian chef Mario Traina’s new column, I Will Be Your Grandmother, reflects on memory, family, and the emotional rituals surrounding Nonna Pina’s stuffed artichokes.

May 18, 2026
Recipes

How to Make Nonna Pina’s Stuffed Artichokes

In the first recipe from I Will Be Your Grandmother, Sicilian chef Mario Traina shares the stuffed artichokes his grandmother made slowly and generously for family dinners in Sicily.

May 15, 2026
Recipes

How to Make Sicilian Durum Wheat Polenta with Kohlrabi Ragù

An old world Sicilian dish transforms cracked grain and a rare vegetable into something deeply rich and sustaining.

May 7, 2026
Features

Human Zero Waste: How a Sicilian Kitchen Became a Classroom

In Catania, a chef is using the kitchen to teach young people about food, community, and possibility.

May 5, 2026