I am also a trained Opera singer, having performed with The Metropolitan Operas leading tenor, Marcello Giordani, Broadway veteran Lisa Vroman and David Miller of Il Divo, (you can view the press release for one of my concerts here), I've performed with burlesque troupes and worked as a freelance writer (feel free to take a look at some of my pieces for Newsday here and here)
I recently won
the Egglands Best “Your Best Recipe Contest” Dessert Category for my Chocolate
Hazelnut Espresso Cookies, inspired by a trip to Italy, my recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin
Pecan Pancakes was featured on the website for Shape Magazine, as well as the recipe for my Zucchini Chips, I have developed
recipes for Ariosto Seasonings, my recipe for Pumpkin Gnocchi can be seen in
the FreeBooksy Thanksgiving Holiday Cookbook, La Cucina Prima Donna was a Foodista
blog of the day and I am currently a finalist in the Tyler Florence Food and Wine Experience Contest for my Ragu Bolognese, as well as a finalist in the Staten Island Advance Cookbook Contest 2013. Some of my recipes are published in "The Organic Gardener's Cookbook, Easy Tips and Recipes for Your Home-Grown Vegetables" and La
Cucina Prima Donna was listed on Italian Reflections as one of the Top Italian
Food Blogs and Websites to follow in 2013. I also won the Better Recipes "Best Pancake Recipe Ever" Contest and was a special contributor for The Daily Meal with my Nutella Ricotta Zeppoles for St. Joseph’s Day.
After spending my summer in Italy studing opera, I became even more in touch with my Italian routes. My love for all things Italian inspired me to start La Cucina Prima Donna.
I have loved
food for as long as I can remember. It has always been a special part of my
life. Some of my best memories involve food. My grandma hard at work in the
kitchen making Sunday gravy, Easter pie and my personal favorite, fried
cauliflower. My mother preparing a Christmas Eve feast for our friends. When I
was little I loved to bake. Now, I love to eat and I love to cook. It’s
meditation. And when the food turns out well, it’s even more rewarding. Let’s
face it, in life, nothing is certain. Most things are inconsistent, jobs and
boyfriends may come and go. Things can let you down. But food will always be
there for you. After a rough day it’s easy to come home to a nice tray of baked
ziti. Food makes you feel good. Simple as that. And for me, it’s Italian food.
Milky fresh mozzarella, al dente penne, tender meatballs and crunchy cannolis.
There’s just something about Italian food that makes me feel the way no other
food makes me feel. It’s a very special feeling, so come and join me for supper
and experience that same feeling. Be Italian.
