Introduction

It sounds stereotypical, but I grew up surrounded by homemade food. My home region of Abruzzo is small, but it is rich in culinary tradition. We have the best of both worlds; with the highest mountain in central Italy, Gran Sasso, as well as a coastline and a thriving farming industry.

It wasn’t just the landscape that inspired my interests in cooking, though. In my family, the kitchen was where everything happened. As a child I remember hiding under the table and running around the kitchen with my brothers, getting told off by my grandmother for being too loud whilst she made fresh pasta.