Our language instructor, Luna, explains the Italian practice of "scarpetta" to help make the most of your meal.

How to “Fare la Scarpetta” Like an Italian

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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/">@spaghettiroots_nyc </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.

Joanna Moeller

Rigatoni amatriciana with crispy guanciale and pecorino romano in a white bowl.

Recipes

Amatriciana at Roscioli: A Classic Roman Recipe

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>.

Andrew Cotto

The homepage of E. & J. Gallo Winery's website.

Features

How Ernest Gallo Brought Wine to the American Table

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

Cocktails

Dante Aperitivo’s Strawberry & Tomato Offers Spring Americano Twist

<div dir="ltr">Planted, harvested and aged in NY, Li Valentine has a background in education and marketing, with a passion for travel and all things wine. With roots in the boot, she has a special interest in Italian wine and travel. She is a certified wine professional and Italian Wine Specialist. In addition to writing about wine (<a href="http://discover.thewininghour.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://discover.thewininghour.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1697217195025000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2tvR1J02Hhj2IanKTun4fa">discover.thewininghour.com</a>), she is the founder of The Wining Hour, Inc., which includes a wine boutique that caters to the wine lover, as well as the vinous winechat (#WiningHourChat) on X (formerly Twitter).</div>
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<div dir="ltr">Follow Li on all social at @thewininghour.</div>

Li Valentine

Coldiretti and Istituto 100% Italiano Champion Italy’s Agricultural Identity

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, is scheduled to be released on July 19, 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!

Lowcountry Bella

Assorted pizzas displayed in a glass case at Anto's PIzza Romana

Anto’s Pizza Puts Conway, South Carolina, on the Map

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

A simple leaf becomes the image behind the Italian expression “mangiare la foglia,” used to describe intuitive understanding.

Mangiare la Foglia: When Getting It Is Something You Eat

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Appetito

Sarah Campise Hallier is the Associate Editor at Appetito Magazine. 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 (any many others), Sarah enjoys covering everything from cultural identity to the evolving Italian-American food experience. A California girl at heart, when she’s not crafting stories, she’s chasing down the best food and drink 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 newsletter <a href="https://www.sarahhallier.com/about-1">here</a>.

Sarah Campise Hallier

Italianity by Andrea Lonardi and Jessica Dupuy.

News

Italianity: The Culture of Italian Wine Explained

<a href="https://linktr.ee/rossellarago">Rossella Rago</a> is an Italian-American award-winning cookbook author and entrepreneur.

Rossella Rago

Rossella Rago in her ancestral region of Puglia.

Travel

Join Rossella Rago for a Culinary Tour of Puglia and Matera

Guides

Sunday Shop: Dior, NOYZ, Prada — Fragrances I Can’t Stop Wearing 

Appetito Editors

Appetito's Andrew Cotto, center left, with friends on set of Good Day New York.

Appetito Promotes “Pizza for a Smile” on Good Day New York

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Michael Politto Jr. is a retired Italian chef and accomplished journalist whose life’s work bridged the passionate artistry of traditional cuisine with the storytelling power of the written word. Born into a proud Italian-American family, Politto developed his culinary foundation under the mentorship of master chefs in Italy, refining his craft in some of the country’s most revered kitchens. His early career took him through the historic halls of Osteria Francescana, the elegance of Le Calandre, and the legendary La Pergola, where he became known for his disciplined technique and deep respect for regional Italian traditions. Over decades, Politto cultivated a reputation as a chef who could elevate rustic dishes into refined experiences, earning admiration from peers and critics alike.
In the later stages of his career, Politto transitioned seamlessly into journalism, bringing the same authenticity and depth to his writing that defined his cooking. As a contributor to leading culinary publications across Europe and the United States, he documented the evolving landscape of Italian gastronomy, profiling iconic chefs and preserving disappearing regional recipes. His work captured not just food, but the culture, history, and people behind it cementing his legacy as both a craftsman and a storyteller. Now retired, Michael Politto Jr. is regarded as a respected voice in the culinary world, a man whose life embodied the spirit of Italy’s kitchens and whose words continue to inspire a new generation of chefs and food writers.