L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 4 SILVIA GIUDICI NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS S h e i s a c h e f , a f o o d w r i t e r , a c o o k b o o k author, and has l e a r n e d t h e secrets of cooking from her g r a n d m o t h e r , N o n n a F e r n a n d a . C h e f A l e Gambini's bio is a mix of working experiences, suc- cesses and a passion for good food that runs in her family blood. Born and rai- sed in Milan, in Northern Italy, Ale moved to Ameri- ca twelve years ago fol - lowing her husband and, once here, her love for the Italian culinary tradition became her job. "Food is a medicine, we n e e d t o e a t w e l l , " s h e underlines when presen- ting her latest book, No Ketchup on Spaghetti. The Complete Guide on how to Shop, Eat, and Cook like an Italian, on occasion of t h e 5 t h a n n u a l W e e k o f I t a l i a n C u i s i n e i n t h e World. A guide on the do's a n d d o n t ' s o f I t a l i a n cooking, already available o n l i n e a t A m a z o n a n d Barnes And Nobles, and in all bookstores, from the 14th of December. Ale, what is special about your book? There are tons of cook- books about Italian cuisi- ne. Mine is slightly diffe- rent, it is not only about recipes; the first half is a guide with tips and tricks from friends who are chef as well. Another topic I touch is I t a l i a n s o u n - ding, products that look Italian, but are actually m a d e s o m e w h e r e e l s e . Their quality is not as good as ours and they represent a huge loss for the Italian economy. How has your career i n t h e f o o d b u s i n e s s started? W h e n I w a s i n I t a l y I was a musician, I played with great artists and for tv shows. But when I moved here, I felt the urge to do something for our culinary tradition, because I was s h o c k e d t o s e e s o m a n y mistakes made here! In my family, food has always been very important so I felt I had to do something. W h a t h a p p e n e d then? I started writing about food in 2013 in a blog that I e v e n t u a l l y r e n a m e d A Queen in the Kitchen. I was also collaborating with magazines and newspa - pers: my main topic was authenticity when talking about Italian food. What did you do to promote that? I a m a n I t a l i a n f o o d ambassador and I am also a recipe developer. I do have a small business of catering called Q Cannoli & Cookies, specialized in making authentic cannoli, and I have been a part of Fresh Up Your Life, a web series that aims at making people aware of fruits and veggies from Italy. It was funded by the European Union and I was involved as a producer, as author of t h e f o r m a t a n d a s h o s t . Lately. I have been also part of the project I love San Marzano, to promote real San Marzano toma- toes. I am also very happy to be part of I love Italian Food, an association that c r e a t e s p r o j e c t s t o p r o - m o t e a u t h e n t i c , 1 0 0 % Made in Italy in the world. A l e s s a n d r o S c h i a t t i , i t s founder, wrote the forward of my book. Food is one of the engines of our econo- my, so we need to export it and protect it. This is a contribution I wanted to share, too. W h a t i s t h e t h i n g you enjoy the most? Teaching is the thing I love the most. By being a cooking instructor, I've learned that people need to understand the ingre- dients. This book is a tri- b u t e t o m y f a m i l y , m y n o n n a a n d t o N o r t h e r n Italian cuisine, that is not very well known, yet. We h a v e t w e n t y r e g i o n s i n Italy and every region has very specific and different Chef Ale Gambini at the Taste Awards 2020 (Photo: Otto De Togni) Continued to page 6 Chef Ale Gambini: when family passion becomes a job

• Cover