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

Appetito

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 single potato on a white plate atop an Italian tricolor tablecloth

Features

Spirito di Patata: When Italians Blame the Potato for a Bad Joke

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

Recipes

To Make Potato Gnocchi, Go Baked or Go Home

Australian cookbook author Alec Morris and his young songs, Aldo and Elio, are a team of playful pasta-makers determined to bring their favorite Sunday meal to your table.
Learning from his nonna at a very young age, Alec has been making pasta for over 30 years. His blog, Pasta et Al, began simply as a record of this weekly tradition as he passed it on to his children. However, it quickly grew into an international community drawn together by the trio&#8217;s unique blend of old and new, heartfelt storytelling and, of course, tiny, squishy hands. They continue to inspire new pasta-makers, reinvigorate old ones and even gain the occasional endorsement from someone&#8217;s nonna.
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potatoes

Spirito di Patata: When Italians Blame the Potato for a Bad Joke

To Make Potato Gnocchi, Go Baked or Go Home

Pici Pasta with Potatoes and Beans