I am a fusion of cultures and experiences. Both my parents were born in Sicily – my father from Ragusa, my mother from Catania – but they lived in Trieste where I spent my childhood. I experienced two cultures – the north and south of Italy. Sicily’s culture is the sum of countless conquests by Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors, Normans, Spaniards and the French and Trieste’s Italian culture is mixed with Austro-Hungarian, Slovenian and Croatian influences.
My family came to Australia and settled in Adelaide and I moved to Melbourne in 2002. My appreciation of fresh, local ingredients is first and foremost. In Trieste my family lived in the centre of the city, very close to the market and as an adult I have always chosen to live close to a food market, notably the Adelaide Market and Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne (Australia).
My interest in food is very much driven by my curiosity in exploring my cultural origins. As a child and an adult I have often visited our extended family in Italy and Sicily, each visit adding to the store of first-hand experiences. I have also travelled to many parts of the world and enjoy cooking the foods of different cultures.