Here's a wrap-up of the "Winter Braising Series" Appetito offered featuring social media star Joanna Moeller.

The Braising Series with Joanna Moeller of @spaghettiroots_nyc

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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

Recipes

Grilled Spicy Swordfish Caponata as a Nod to Sicily

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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

A late winter pour: hazelnut espresso martini made with OYO Barrel Finished Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka.

Cocktails

A Late Winter Dessert Sip: The Hazelnut Espresso Martini

Author of Pasta &amp; Magic Cookbooks.

Photographer and cookbook author Mark Gowen.

Mark Gowen

Filini in wild garlic pesto with samphire, a vivid spring pasta from Pasta & Magic author Mark Gowan.

Spring Filini with Wild Garlic Pesto and Samphire

Vinny DelGiudice is the creator of <a href="http://alwaysfromscratch.com">Always From Scratch</a>, where he shares approachable, rustic Italian and family-style recipes inspired by tradition and everyday life. With a background in photography and a love for storytelling, Vinny makes cooking feel personal, not performative. Whether he&#8217;s perfecting seafood for weeknight ease or getting sauce on his shirt despite wearing an apron, his content brings heart, humor, and heritage to the kitchen, always with a nod to where it all started: home.

Vinny DelGiudice smiling in his kitchen, wearing a blue shirt and glasses.

Vinny DelGiudice

Italian sausage and cannellini bean soup with vegetables in tomato broth

Vinny DelGiudice’s Sausage and White Bean Soup

<div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/matthewcutolo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/matthewcutolo/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1737732208475000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2W9sxEjPHw8HA5vP3lJrJs">Chef Matthew Cutolo </a>is the Chef at <a href="https://gargiulos.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://gargiulos.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1737732208475000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0bAwnlSS05rHhUJPnWJ2yd">Gargiulo’s Restaurant </a>in Coney Island, Brooklyn. As a third-generation Italian-American chef, Chef Cutolo carries on the legacy of Gargiulo’s century-old cannoli recipe and is a passionate advocate for preserving Neapolitan and Sorrentine culinary traditions. Chef Cutolo’s expertise spans a range of classic Italian dishes, including Penne Pasqualina, Zeppole di San Giuseppe, and a unique Pizza Rustica. He is known for maintaining &#8220;Old School&#8221; Italian recipes and traditions, often learned through hands-on experience rather than written instructions.</div>

Chef Matthew Cutolo with his lasagna on the set of Good Day New York.

Matthew Cutolo

Appetito Editors

Olympic-Inspired Ossobuco alla Milanese by Chef Matthew Cutolo

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.
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.
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!
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/">@michele7533</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!

Michele Sessa

A single serving of citrus infused salmon topped with roasted vegetables and fresh basil.

Lent-Friendly Citrus Salmon with Burst Tomatoes

Justin Patulli is a food and travel writer with a lifelong passion for his Italian heritage. From Italy’s most famous cities, landmarks, and dishes to its best-kept secrets, he brings the heart of Italy and its diaspora to life through storytelling. His writing inspires readers to embrace the Italian experience in its entirety. You can find his work on <a title="https://muckrack.com/justin-patulli/portfolio" href="https://muckrack.com/justin-patulli/portfolio">Muck Rack</a> and follow him on <a title="https://www.instagram.com/discover.olive.italy/" href="https://www.instagram.com/discover.olive.italy/">Instagram</a>.

Justin Patulli

Single Roman rice stuffed tomato served with roasted potatoes.

Roman Rice Stuffed Tomatoes: A Roman  Comfort Dish

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About Us

Appetito

Mary Welsh is a Rome-based contributor for Appetito. After earning her BA from Barnard College and becoming a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, she completed her MA in Cultural Heritage at the American University of Rome, where her research focused on women’s roles in sustainable wine marketing and tourism. Today, Mary manages social media for Untold Italy and writes Forks and Corks, her Substack exploring the intersections of food, wine, culture, and travel, along with her own personal reflections. Follow her on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/maryuncorked" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/maryuncorked&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1761663283490000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0uCC-qQPiGid71GjDRnUxk">@maryuncorked</a>.

Mary Welsh

Sweeping green lawn at Villa Pamphili in Monteverde Rome under blue sky

Guides

Monteverde, Rome: A Neighborhood Guide

A perfectly poured cocktail at Bar Bianchi, setting the tone for an early evening aperitivo in the East Village.

Neighborhood Joints

New York’s Bar Bianchi Launches Cicchetti Hour

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

Team members standing on the rooftop beside the Zepeddie’s Pizzeria sign in Charlotte

Features

The Second Rise of Zepeddie’s in Charlotte’s LoSo

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By training, Chiara Montalto Giannini is an actress and a writer, but she has been cooking since before she can remember. As an actress and a writer, her solo play, A Brooklyn Love Story &#8211; based on the decade she spent living in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn with her grandfather &#8211; was produced Off Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York and at Theatre 68 in Los Angeles, where it was directed by Ronnie Marmo. Currently, she is the Director of the Writers Guild Initiative, a non-profit affiliated with the WGAE that shares the tools of writing and creative expression with different communities. She&#8217;s also a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and the Dramatists Guild. At Appetito, Chiara will share recipes from her childhood and those she has learned through her extensive pursuit of Italian food both here and abroad.

Chiara Montalto Giannini

Golden citrus Aperol Spritz cake topped with fresh berries and powdered sugar, served on a white plate.