In part two of the Birrittella's series, acclaimed pizzaiola, Nicole Russell, host of Pizza Wars, shows Appetito magazine's Andrew Cotto how to create a homemade pizza using Birrittella's Pizza Dough.

Homemade Pizza with Birrittella’s

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Features

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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

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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

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Kori Belotti is a German-Italian Chicago native who grew up a mile west of Wrigley Field eating cuisines from the varied cultures throughout the city. She is also a SAG-AFTRA actor and writer who writes pilots for episodic television series. Growing up in the culinary mecca of the Midwest, food has always been present in her life and she is excited to share her perspective on Italian fare and culture in Chicago with the Appetito community!

Kori Belotti

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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

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<a title="https://kristinejannuzzi.contently.com/" href="https://kristinejannuzzi.contently.com/">Kristine Jannuzzi</a> is an accomplished journalist, cheese expert, six-time World Cheese Awards Judge, and dual American-Italian citizen dividing her time between New York and Florence. Her work has been published in Culture Magazine, La Cucina Italiana, Wedge Magazine, Cheese Professor, British Heritage Travel, and The Florentine, among other publications. Kristine also hosts exclusive private tastings and tours in Tuscany and the NYC area. <a title="mailto:kristine.jannuzzi@gmail.com" href="mailto:kristine.jannuzzi@gmail.com">Contact her</a> for details and follow her adventures on Instagram <a title="https://www.instagram.com/nyccheesechick/" href="https://www.instagram.com/nyccheesechick/">@nyccheesechick </a>

Kristine Jannuzzi

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Andrew Cotto and Nicole Russell toast with pizza slices