Leslie and Ted, my final February/March U.S. tour stop – always Washington, D.C. – is sparked each year with a few highlights: cooking together with you two, appassioned Italophiles, is always one. From the Italian handcrafts and art in your home, to the cooking group name tags (with a Naples Bay scene painted by Leslie)…
Elizabeth and Brian, mille grazie for hosting such an enthusiastic, united cooking crew in Fairfax, VA! Elizabeth, you had savored (with your mother) Umbrian rural life and cuisine during my Rural Life Revisited tour some years ago. Glad to reconnect and bring to life Umbrian goodness in your kitchen. Kathy and sisters, daughters, wonderful to…
Sharing food is always communion. Ironically, the day after a “cooking communion” with family and new friends in Madison, Wisconsin, my note on food as communion came out in Italian Notebook. Lisa and Suzanne, mille grazie for bringing such a warm and welcoming group together (including my brother, Bill!) to cook up Umbrian rural goodness.…
Cooking with the TEMPO women in Madison, Wisconsin is always a joy: and this year, too. (Our third or forth year, signore?) What lively chatter and interaction as we cooked in a “dream of a kitchen” – and afterwards at table as each woman shared with me tidbits on their lives and professions. What a…
Cooking together always forms links. In Milwaukee, our cooking class in the Milwaukee Catholic Home kitchen, connected various generations of students of DSHA, my own Milwaukee high school (at that time, Holy Angels Academy). Certainly appropriate to re-connect with others from DSHA cooking up Italian: the seeds were planted there with an excellent academic education.…
I sometimes wonder if the hosts booking my cooking classes have any doubts about the good times we’ll have cooking Umbrian rural cuisine together? Now I know for sure that guests might: a guest of Denver cooking hosts Susan and Paul, Clif, was dubious. But he changed this mind: “..was not so sure about this…
A stop in Denver nearly always includes a “cooking reunion” with Steve and Donna, their family and friends. Third time around this year. Our first meeting? During their year-long stay with family in Assisi five years ago. We shared so many Umbria “memorable moments”: the Trevi celery festival, Assisi’s wondrous medieval May festival, Calendimaggio ..and…
Mike and Jerilynn, mille grazie for so warmly welcoming me into your Colorado Springs home for a cooking evening of sharing and connecting. As Jerilynn put it: “Wonderful to share time and food and friendship.” And Mike, glad you enjoyed our time together, too: “Anne, what a delight to share this time with you and…
Judy and David, thanks so much for a “second-time-around” in your Austin kitchen – and with such a delightful group. A pleasure to meet new “cooks” and glad to “back in the kitchen” with returning cooks. Jerry and Karen, “second year” cooks, thanks for your note to me: “So good to be back in the…
There’s no better link than cooking together – and then feasting together. And no better reunion: hosts Jeff and Debbie, remember our first meeting in Assisi during our stupendous medieval May festival, Calendimaggio? Mille grazie for deciding on a cooking class in your Austin home as the perfect way to re-connect. And with such an…