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News, stories, and recipes for anyone who loves Italian food, wine, spirits, and travel

Appetito

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.

Daniel Mancini

Summer tomatoes with creamy burrata, fresh basil, oregano and olive oil.

Recipes

Tomatoes and Burrata: A Taste of Italian Summer

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, was released in July 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!

Mandi Casey of Low Country Bella on a foam green Vespa in a floral skirt.

Lowcountry Bella

Peachy Summer Salad

Angela Petruzzelli is a food and wine writer with a strong emphasis on Southern Italian delicacies. She is chef and owner of an Italian restaurant, <a href="https://sprezzacucina.com/">Sprezza Cucina</a>, which focuses on traditional cuisine from Puglia, the region of Italy she is from. Her passions aside from finding authentic Italian eateries in the U.S. include recipe developing, sharing her lasagna with the world, her fervent love of animals, food focused travel, teaching her restaurant guests Italian food culture, and learning about Italian wines by way of tasting them all. Spirit food: a perfectly cured salame.
Follow Sprezza Cucina on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sprezzacucina/">Instagram</a>.

Angela Petruzzelli

Features

La Burrata Pugliese, Puglia’s (mostly) Unknown Claim to Fame

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

Panzanella salad with burrata and roasted tomatoes

burrata

Tomatoes and Burrata: A Taste of Italian Summer

Peachy Summer Salad

La Burrata Pugliese, Puglia’s (mostly) Unknown Claim to Fame

Panzanella Salad with a Twist