Welcome to Mia Cucina Italiana
Welcome to my Italian kitchen. I'm Teresa and I create the savory and sweet recipes, content and photography you'll find here.
I come by my love of Italian food, cooking and culture naturally—it's in the genes. I'm a second generation Italian-American, and grew up in my family's restaurants and in my nonna's kitchen. Yes, I had one of those amazing Italian grandmothers who was a brilliant cook, used no recipes and no cookbooks—just the learnings from her own mama's and nonna's kitchens. My father acquired his culinary skills from her and passed that knowledge on to his children, inspiring a life-long love of Italian food. For my part, I cook for a sense of belonging to my roots and find it a tasty creative outlet. That's what this quote from acclaimed filmmaker Federico Fellini means to me: "Life is a combination of magic and pasta."
I live in the Midwest, in a land that is famous for corn, pork, eggs and the field of dreams. I have long worked with food—from prepping and waiting tables in my family's restaurants to my day job as an art director and prop stylist for culinary publications.
On this site you'll find Italian and Mediterranean inspired recipes and more, as I love to experiment with food from different parts of the country and world cultures. You'll find a few sweets, but not a lot of baking—I admit that I'm no baker, but it's on my list of things to delve into in the future. There will be inspiration from some of my favorite kitchen tools and my vast cookbook collection, some kitchen-related crafts, and travel to magical places. I hope you enjoy the journey!
Note: all images content and recipes on this site are my own. Please make the appropriate attribution if you reproduce any item.