I’ve thoroughly documented how my first trip to Italy changed my life, how only two days in Florence inspired my new career as a writer which began with a year abroad in the Tuscan hills. It was there that I wrote my first novel and returned to America with a passion for authentic Italian food (with a renewed appreciation and understanding of the Italian-American food on which I was raised).
Over the next 20 years, this love of Italian food informed each of my seven novels and my transition into journalism where the cuisine of Italy dominated the over 500 articles I’d publish in major magazines and newspapers (most notably The New York Times).
The pandemic turned this passion into an obsession as I was consumed with the correlation between eating well and being well. And what better way to eat than like an Italian?
Not only did Italian food become the dominant focus of the books I wrote furiously during the lockdown, including Cucina Romana: Another Italian Adventure (the sequel to Cucina Tipica published in 2016), but also the regular journalism contributed to the venerable La Cucina Italiana magazine’s US publication.
And then La Cucina Italiana US ceased their coverage of Italian food in America. This left me in a lurch as I had multiple stories in the works, with many additional ideas piled up in my head. Richard Martin, the former Managing Editor of La Cucina Italiana US, advised me to take my stories elsewhere. I tried. It occurred to me after many passes and radio silence from the editors at major food magazines that somehow Italian food in America was no longer in vogue.
Impossibile, I thought…How could there not be a formidable place at the table of American food coverage for Italian food? It’s America’s food!
I reached out to Richard Martin, thanked him for the crappy advice and suggested we start our own publication dedicated to Italian food and drink. He liked the idea. We put our talents and connections together, and a year later, in April of this year, an online publication was born: Appetito: Italian Food & Drink.
Our mission is to celebrate the magnificence of regional (or authentic) Italian food in Italy and America as well as our indigenous cuisine known as Italian-American. We want to educate, entertain, inform and inspire. Everyone, from all backgrounds and beliefs, are welcome at our table. This even includes those editors at the food magazines who didn’t want my stories; in fact, I thank them since they are the reason Appetito exists.
We just published our 100th article, and our exceptional content is reflective of not only our universally adored subject but also the amazing array of talents who have helped us through contributions, access, and support. A microcosm of this was evident at the Appetito media launch party in late June at the expanded Song’E Napule location on W. Houston Street in Manhattan. The joyous room – full of celebrities, influencers, journalists, representatives of Italian PR and trade agencies (and my two kids) – basked in the splendor provided by the Neapolitan pizzeria and trattoria’s owner, Ciro Iovine, who embraced the essence of our collective celebration.
Take a look at Appetito for yourself and, if you like what you see (and you will), consider signing up for our newsletter and a subscription. You can also follow us on social media (@appetitomagazine).
Help us share the gospel of Italian food & drink. These, and the lifestyle they promote, are among the best things the world has to offer and the benefits are enormous to those who embrace it.
