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

Appetito

Bona Furtuna

<p>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></p>


Morgan Hines

Fig spritz over ice garnished with a fig slice and thyme beside a bottle of La Marca Prosecco

A Sparkling Autumnal Sip: La Marca’s Fall Fig Spritz

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Jamie Spinato is an Italian-American writer and food storyteller currently writing her debut magical realism novel, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400">Penny’s From Heaven</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400">. Her work explores the connections between food, memory, love, and the stories we create around everyday life. Through her recipes, essays, and newsletter, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400">The Sunday Sauce</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400">, she shares Italian-inspired food and personal stories rooted in nostalgia, creativity, and the pursuit of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400">la dolce vita</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400">—one page and one plate at a time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Follow her on both Instagram and TikTok</span> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jamiespinato/"><span style="font-weight: 400">@jamiespinato.</span></a></p>


Jamie Spinato

Recipes

Dinner for One Deserves Pumpkin Vodka Pasta 

<p>I am the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Appetito magazine. I like Italian food &amp; drink, a lot. I am also an award-winning novelist and a regular contributor to the New York Times. More about my work can be found at <a href="https://andrewcotto.com/">Home &#8211; Andrew Cotto</a>.</p>


Andrew Cotto

Memory not Maxxing when Making a Nonna Recipe

<p>Michele Sessa is an Italian American home chef raised in upstate NY with a flair for creating new recipes. When she was young, her great grandmother would watch her while her parents worked. She only spoke Italian, and they communicated through the magic of cooking. The duo would bake, garden and even take care of the chickens, which developed Michele’s passion for making people happy through her food. All the women in her family fostered the importance of family, faith and healthy food.</p>
<p>Working in the apparel business for over 25 years in NYC and traveling the world for developing fashion lines, her love of different cuisines grew. Of course, Italian food is near and dear to her heart, but she now develops Greek, Asian, Latin and Mexican recipes for her family and for parties.</p>
<p>Now living in Florida with her husband and extended family, she even teaches her friends her innovative takes on Italian classic dishes. Everyone wants and invitation to her Italian Sunday feasts she makes for 8-14 family members, and everyone gets to pick their favorite dinner for their birthday celebration. Her Mother Louise has finally left NY and is living nearby, and they love cooking and baking together, especially for the traditional holiday meals. She learned everything about being a gracious hostess from her mom, and they even catered a large wedding for 65 guests in their backyard when her cousins came to America from Italy to get married!</p>
<p>Michele’s love for her heritage and family continues to drive her knack for entertaining, decorating and cooking. Instagram is another place where she shares her recipes, and she has a great following for her handle <a href="https://www.instagram.com/michele7533/"><u>@michele7533</u></a>. Make sure to stop by her page for inspiration and her authentic stories through her eyes and her food! Casa Michele’s kitchen is a special place that you can visit through her page!</p>


Michele Sessa

Whole fig olive oil cake with fresh figs and sliced almonds baked into the top

Mondays with Michele: Fig, Olive Oil and Honey Cake

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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 man cutting watermelon beside a truck filled with watermelons in Sicily.

Features

Gelo di Mellone and a Family’s Sicilian Summers

<p>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.</p>


Daniel Mancini

Classic Neapolitan ragù with slow-cooked meat and tomato sauce

Classic Neapolitan Grandma-Style Ragù 

Sicilian watermelon pudding topped with pistachios, chocolate and jasmine flowers.

Gelo di Mellone: A Sicilian Family Recipe Remembered

<p>Hello. My name is Joanna Moeller, and I am a passionate home cook residing in downtown Manhattan for 20+ years. I started my Instagram cooking page <a href="https://www.instagram.com/spaghettiroots_nyc/"><u>@spaghettiroots_nyc </u></a>in April, 2023, as a way to showcase my cooking, as I initially intended for it to be more of an inspirational cooking page featuring my &#8220;No recipe, recipes.&#8221; It has truly been a wonderfully creative outlet for me.</p>


Joanna Moeller

Chicken Meatball Scarpariello with Italian sausage, cherry peppers and fresh basil.

How to Make Chicken Meatball Scarpariello 

<div>Carola Frediani is from Sarzana (a small town in the province of La Spezia) in Italy. She is currently working on her masters in travel journalism with STJ. She is passionate about travel, storytelling, and photography.  In the past six years, Carola has traveled and lived in the United Kingdom, China, Australia, and Spain. She loves exploring new places and learning new cultures, and is also a qualified yoga teacher.</div>
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<div>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/carola-frediani/">carola-frediani</a></div>
<div>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/carolafrediani/">@carolafrediani</a></div>


Carola Frediani

Ligurian testaroli with basil pesto and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on a white plate.

Testaroli: Liguria’s Simplest Comfort Food

<p>Culinary artist Danielle Caminiti is a lawyer and recipe developer whose site, <a href="https://www.haveucoveredinthekitchen.com/">Have U Covered in the Kitchen</a>, features dozens of great recipes spanning Italian food to Mediterranean cuisine and beyond.</p>
