About Me

Ciao a tutti! My name is Caroline Chirichella, I am the founder of “La Cucina Prima Donna” which is fully dedicated to embracing the Italian lifestyle in every sense of the word. We feature recipes, photos, travels journals, tips on how to market for authentic Italian ingredients, restaurant reviews, interviews with Italian personalities in the food world and beyond (Chef Diego Ortoli of Portofino Cucina in LA, restaurateur Joe Campanale of dell’anima, l’artusi, Anfora and L’Apicio, Gennaro Pecchia of Men Who Dine, Chef and owner of Eolo in NYC Melissa Muller Daka and Bob Guccione Jr, founder of Spin Magazine) and so much more.

I recently started my own business, based in NYC, called "Magic & Pasta." "Magic & Pasta" specializes in stylized dinner events. I host my events in a beautiful commercial kitchen space in midtown Manhattan. Not only will you enjoy a multi course meal that has been tailor made for that evening's event, but you are invited to come and join me in the open kitchen and see the magic behind my creations. These dinners will give you an intimate and private experience as if dining at a friend’s house. I am your host, chef, waitress, bartender and DJ. Every event will also have a theme; A Venetian Carnevale Celebration, a Mad Men Cocktail Reception, A Dinner inspired by Famous Food Quotes, A Mad Hatter Tea party, Italian Street Food, A Medici Inspired Wedding Feast, etc. With "Magic & Pasta" the goal is for you, the guest, to stop just eating and START EXPERIENCING. I also host cooking classes, private cooking lessons and children's events.

I am a Sous Chef with "Feast on History", a wonderful company that puts on private dinner events in Manhattan.

In addition to cooking, 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 and my "famous" cioccolata calda made it into The Florentine, the English speaking magazine in Florence, Italy)

I 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. I have been a finalist in the Tyler Florence Food and Wine Experience Contest, the Staten Island Advance Cookbook Contest 2013 for my Ragu Bolognese, as well as the Tuscany Foodie Blogger Competition for my Grilled Steak with Balsamic Reduction and I won the Il Villaggio Cheese Holiday Recipe Contest. Some of my recipes have been published in "The Organic Gardener's Cookbook, Easy Tips and Recipes for Your Home-Grown Vegetables", 25 Quick & Easy Gluten Free Desserts for the Holidays and the FreeBooksy Thanksgiving Holiday Cookbook.


La Cucina Prima Donna was listed on Italian Reflections as one of the Top Italian Food Blogs and Websites to follow in 2013 and was a Foodista blog of the day . 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. I was recently a finalist in the On The Go Cooking Show Recipe Contest and The Green Up Leftovers Recipe Contest. I am a blogger ambassador for La Cucina Italiana Magazine.

After spending my summer in Italy studying 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.