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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 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

Recipes

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>


Danielle Caminiti

Welcome Fall With Pumpkin Pie Pizzelle

<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

Four hands toast with pink Sarti Spritz cocktails against a blue sky.