About Us

Founder & Chef

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My earliest memory of cooking is in the kitchen with my mom. I remember watching her make her special dish, Pho, a Vietnamese traditional dish, in our family home in a small town in Ontario, Canada. I loved the smells that came from the kitchen – and how the kitchen was the hub of our home where my three brothers and sister always came together. Food was always a key part of my life growing up.

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In 2014, I decided to trace my family roots in Vietnam, and meeting my grandfather inspired me to follow my culinary dreams. After that fateful trip, I put aside my laptop for chef whites and went to London to study Patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu.

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In 2015, I opened a bakery popup shop for 1 week and raised over $1,300 to help Syrian refugees arriving in Canada. 

 

In 2016, I starred in The Food Network “How to Cook” digital series, and worked with celebrity chefs. That inspired me to write a blog meshing my two passions of storytelling and food.

 

Since then I have been cooking and creating culinary delights for my friends and family, as well as working on food and drinks projects.

 

I am currently living in Modena, Italy with my family.

Guest Chef - Parma, Italy

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Ilaria Bertinelli was born in Parma, Italy. She comes from a family of farmers, and producers of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.  In 1993, she graduated from the University of Trieste as an English and Spanish translator and a thesis degree on ham processing in Italy, UK and Denmark. 

 

She worked as a freelance interpreter until 1997 when she took over the specialized linguistic services company Interconsul of which she is still CEO.

 

Always passionate about cooking, food and nutrition, it was coeliac disease and the onset of type 1 diabetes in her daughter Gaia at 6 years that marked the beginning of what she calls her "second life".  She began cooking gluten free meals, and in 2013, her book "A chef for Gaia" was published. The book recounts, through recipes with and without gluten and with the carbohydrate count, the journey of her family towards normalcy. 

 

In 2016, she created the blog www.unochefpergaia.it to continue the work she started with the book.

 

She has also appeared in many TV cooking shows throughout Italy.

Guest Chef - London, UK

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Olivia Cavalli is a chef, food stylist and writer from London. Born to an English father and Italian mother, Olivia grew up surrounded by Italian food. She learnt how to cook from her Italian nonna, Albina, who taught her the art of using simple ingredients, repurposing leftovers and the importance of a home-cooked meal.

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Olivia began her career in food journalism at the Telegraph where her recipes, writing and photographs were published and she was introduced to food styling. In order to hone her craft as a cook, Olivia later worked in restaurants in London and Italy, whilst also assisting the wonderful Pasta Grannies. Meeting all the amazing nonni - who were more than willing to share their culinary secrets - encouraged Olivia to start jotting down the recipes of her childhood and those she had picked up along the way. Olivia spends as much time in Italy as possible, finding the people, culture and never ending regional cuisines an endless source of inspiration.

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At the moment, Olivia works as a private chef, teaches cooking classes and hosts supper clubs. Her first cookbook Stagioni celebrates seasonal, vegetable-focused Italian cooking and was published by Pavilion (Harper Collins) in October 2022.