Stefani Poci, better known online as Chef Stef, is an Italian-Canadian home-cook, recipe developer, content creator, entrepreneur, and registered nurse from Toronto, Ontario. Raised by immigrant parents from Puglia, Italy, she grew up surrounded by the recipes, traditions, and dialect that shaped her family's identity. Today, she shares those same traditions with millions of viewers through nostalgic Italian recipes, many alongside her beloved Nonna Filomena. Her goal is to preserve the flavors, stories, and customs she was raised with, while inspiring others to reconnect with their own roots through food.
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, by two immigrant parents from Southern Italy. Although we lived in Canada, my parents made sure my sister and I were raised with the same traditions they grew up with. Looking back, I realize how different my childhood was from many of my friends'. Dinner together every night was expected, Sunday lunch with the family was non-negotiable, and nobody picked up a fork before saying "buon appetito." We spoke Italian at home, celebrated traditions from back home, and learned the values that came with them.
I also spent much of my childhood at my grandparents' house. Summers meant picking cherries in the backyard, playing Scopa with my Nonno, watching RAI and TLN after school, and learning the customs they brought with them from Triggiano, Bari. At the time it all felt normal. Today, I realize how lucky I was to grow up immersed in a culture that has become such a big part of who I am.
What is your familial or cultural connection to Italy?
Italy has always felt like home.
My dad was born in Mesagne, in the province of Brindisi, and came to Canada alone in 1998 in search of new opportunities. It took an incredible amount of
courage to leave behind his family and everything he had ever known to build a new life here.
My mom was born in Triggiano, Bari, and immigrated to Canada at just two years old with my Nonna and Nonno aboard the Saturnia, arriving through Pier 21 in Halifax before eventually building a life in Toronto. My Nonno sadly passed away in 2020, and I know he would have been incredibly proud to see everything I've accomplished. His love for our culture and traditions continues to inspire so much of what I do today.
Although I was born and raised in Canada, a piece of my heart has always been in Italy. Most of my family still lives there, including my other nonna, nonna Marisa, so every trip feels like coming home. I feel incredibly fortunate to have grown up with family in both Italy and Canada. My Nonna here raised us with the recipes, traditions, dialect, and values she brought with her from Puglia, while my family in Italy has kept me deeply connected to the place my parents call home. Because of them, Italy has never felt like somewhere I visit. It has always felt like part of who I am. Being able to experience both perspectives has given me an even deeper appreciation for my heritage.
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How and when did you first fall in love with Italian cuisine?
I've always loved food, but I think I fell in love with what it represented long before I realized I loved cooking. In an Italian family, food is how you show love. It’s our love language. It's how stories are shared, traditions are passed down, and everyone comes together around one table. From the time I was little, I always wanted to be part of that.
At six years old, you'd find me pulling up a chair to the kitchen counter, watching my parents and nonna cook, asking questions, tasting sauces, and learning without even realizing it. The kitchen was where everyone gathered, and I never wanted to miss a moment. By the time I was ten, I proudly claimed I had perfected lasagna, and by twelve, I was making dinner every night before my parents got home from work.
Now, at twenty-three, not much has changed. Cooking has become my way of carrying those traditions forward and giving back to the people who gave them to me. There is nothing more rewarding than making a dish my parents grew up eating and watching it bring them right back to their childhood. Seeing those smiles reminds me that food is so much more than what's on the plate—it's memory, family, and love.
How did your passion for Italian food develop?
It was simply how I was raised. As I got older, I realized my love for Italian food went far beyond the recipes themselves. It was the memories attached to them—the conversations around the table, the traditions passed down, the dialect spoken while cooking, and the feeling of being connected to my family and where we come from. Every dish carries a piece of someone, and that's what continues to inspire me today.
Some of my earliest memories are of watching cooking shows with my nonna, especially Lidia Bastianich, Gino D'Acampo, David Rocco, and others who celebrated Italian cuisine. I was always fascinated by the way food could bring people together and tell a story. Between what I watched at home and what I learned in my own kitchen, cooking became second nature.
When and why did you decide to focus on Italian food via social media?
I started posting on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic while spending more time at home making fresh pasta, breads, pastries, and other homemade recipes. Like many people, I found comfort in the kitchen. At first, I shared a little bit of everything, but over time I realized the recipes I loved creating most—and the ones people connected with most—were the Italian dishes I had grown up eating. Those recipes carried stories, memories, and traditions that resonated far beyond the food itself, and that's when I knew I had found my place.
What really convinced me was reading the comments. People would tell me, "My nonna used to make it exactly like this," while others would share how their family from another region did it completely differently. Those conversations became my favorite part of creating content. I realized I wasn't just sharing recipes—I was helping people revisit memories, celebrate their heritage, and connect with one another. That's the kind of community I always hoped to build.
How do you find the experience overall (pros / cons)?
The biggest reward has been the people. I've met incredible friends around the world, connected with people I never would have crossed paths with otherwise, and built a community that truly feels like family. Knowing that one recipe can remind someone of a loved one they've lost or a meal they haven't had in years is something I'll never take for granted.
One of the most meaningful parts of this journey has been sharing it with my nonna over the past three years. Through our videos, she's reconnected with old friends, distant relatives, and people from her hometown who recognized her and shared memories of growing up together or stories about my nonno. I've even connected with relatives I likely never would have met otherwise because they knew my nonna before they ever knew me. To this day, she'll go to bingo on Wednesdays and Sundays and come home smiling because someone stopped her to say, "Filomena, I saw you on my phone!" Those are the moments that remind me social media can reconnect people in the most unexpected ways.
Of course, social media isn't without its challenges. Italian food is deeply personal, and everyone grows up believing their family's way is the "right" way. Every now and then you'll get comments insisting a recipe is wrong because someone's nonna made it differently. I always remind people that every region, every town, every street, every home, and every nonna has their own way of doing things. That's the beauty of Italian cooking. Recipes are passed down, adapted, and made unique to each family. I genuinely love hearing how others make the same dish because there's always something new to learn, and those conversations are what make this community so special.
What’s the primary image you want to project?
More than anything, I hope people associate my page with comfort and nostalgia. I want someone to come across one of my videos and instantly feel like they're back in their nonna's kitchen, gathered around the family table, or reliving a memory they thought they had forgotten. I know not everyone has the privilege of still having their grandparents around, and if my videos can bring even a small piece of that feeling back—whether it's through a recipe, a familiar dialect, or a conversation with my nonna—then I've done what I set out to do.
I also hope my content reminds people to slow down. To cook with the people they love while they still can, to ask questions, write down the family recipes, listen to the stories, and cherish the traditions that make every family unique. Those moments become priceless with time, and I hope my page encourages people to hold onto them while they can.
Where do you hope your social media status will lead?
It has been quite the journey, and every opportunity still feels surreal. I've had the privilege of working with familiar Italian brands that my parents and grandparents remember growing up with in Italy, creating moments that truly feel full circle. Sometimes I have to pause and remind myself that this all started by simply sharing recipes from my family kitchen.
Looking ahead, I'd love to write a cookbook—or maybe even a few—that preserve the recipes, stories, and traditions that shaped my childhood, not only to share with others but to one day pass down and instill in my own family. I also hope to inspire others the way so many people have inspired me growing up. I still remember being a little girl watching Italian cooks on television with my Nonni, feeling connected to the food, stories, and traditions they shared. To one day create that same feeling for someone else would mean so much to me.
Above all, I hope to continue building a community centered around food, family, and tradition. If my recipes can remind someone of their nonna, bring back a memory they thought they had forgotten, inspire someone to call their grandparents, or encourage someone to reconnect with their own roots, then I will feel like I've done exactly what I set out to do.
Follow Stefani here:
Instagram: @chefstefp
TikTok: @chefstefp
Editor's Note: "Positive Influencers" is a series at Appetito that features figures from the Italian food space who project a positive image through their social media platforms. If you know any influencers who might apply, please have them contact our Editor-in-Chief, Andrew Cotto: andrew@appetitomagazine.com.
Discover more inspiring changemakers in our Positive Influencers series.
