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LA BELLA VITA

The Art of Italian Living

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About Me

deborah-dal-fovo-greets-you-at-her-kitchen-door-in-tuscany

Once upon a time there was a little girl who fell in love with food. She was enchanted by the Italian and Lebanese delicacies her mother and father lovingly prepared at home and fascinated with the way simple ingredients were transformed — by a kind of magical alchemy — into extraordinary flavors, textures and visual delights. The girl wanted not only to taste this amazing food, she wanted to learn how to make it for herself.  From that moment on, this became her secret passion in life.

The girl grew up and went off to art college where she used her whimsical fantasy to draw, paint and photograph. Soon she became an Art Director at a fancy advertising agency creating charmed campaigns for big clients who rewarded her with lots of professional accolades and financial success. But the girl wasn’t happy. Something was missing in her life. All the material things she could buy didn’t matter to her any more. She craved a more delicious life with genuine quality, not quantity, and like-minded people to enjoy it with — the kind she had growing up in her family home. She had fallen under a spell that beckoned her from afar…

So the girl, now a young lady, did a very daring thing. She quit her job, bid farewell to her family and set off all alone on a journey to the far away land her grandparents came from called Italy. There she hoped to find her one true love. And she did! Everyone in Italy was just like her — they adored food and ate, cooked and talked about it all the time. The good people of the kingdom welcomed the young lady back to her ancestral homeland and taught her to live “la bella vita” — the Italian good life — and how to make one of her very own.

Every day for 20 years, the young lady watched, listened, and learned from the very best teachers in Italy then cooked, cooked, cooked to her heart’s content. She got married, had two beautiful children and created the quality lifestyle she dreamed of… only better!

Then one day the lady decided it was time to go back to the United States, so she packed up her Italian family and moved to California. Soon after she arrived, the good people of San Francisco heard about her cooking skills and asked her to prepare elaborate feasts for their royal courts. Then they begged her to share with them the secrets of Italian cooking. Before long, many customers and students appeared on her doorstep and she was even invited to cook on television. They dubbed her “The Italian Chef” and she was recognized as an authority on the food she secretly dedicated her life to so long ago.

Now she wanted to share her fairy tale with even more people so, using the magical powers bestowed upon her, she conjured up a cooking blog with recipes, stories and photos to teach people across the land how to create a delicious lifestyle and inspire them to live la bella vita happily ever after… just like she did once a upon a time.

~ Only the beginning….

Chef-Deborah-Dal-Fovo-in-the-kitchen

IN A NUTSHELL:

Ciao, I’m private chef and Italian cooking instructor Deborah Dal Fovo.
You can usually find me in the kitchen preparing sumptuous meals for my clients or creating new recipes and menus to teach students. I love taking photos of my food and all the photos on this website are mine unless otherwise noted. My recipes and cooking videos have been featured on TV shows like View from the Bay, Good Cooking with Bruce Aidells, Cooking for the Clueless, and I teach at many cooking schools in the U.S. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll find me kicking up my heels dancing the West Coast Swing, hanging out in Italy soaking up inspiration for my work or enjoying “la bella vita” with my two wonderful children in California.
For business inquiries, please contact me at info@deborahdalfovo.com

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I’m excited about my “Pretty Pasta Please” o I’m excited about my “Pretty Pasta Please” online workshop on April 24, and plan to post lots of laminated pasta to show you all the creative ways I make decorative pasta sheets layered with herbs, leaves, flowers, and natural ingredients for gorgeous edible art!

I made these cute little ravioli with mint leaf laminated pasta sheets and stuffed them with a filling of peas, ricotta, and pecorino. Sweet peas and fresh mint are a marriage made in Springtime 🥰 and ~ served with a buttery sweet pea and prosciutto sauce {scroll to view} ~ they look and taste amazing 😋. 

I’m so looking forward to teaching this technique that takes pasta making to the next level and is like an art class for food 💚. Hope you join me! Tap the link in my bio for more info and to reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cook-italian-pretty-pasta-please-online-pasta-making-workshop-tickets-149795182423

#italianchef #italiancooking #italianfood #cookitalian #cookingclass #onlinecookingclass #deborahcooks #deborahsitaliankitchen #italiancookingclass #pastamaking #pasta  #laminatedpasta #ilovepasta #prettypasta #decorativepasta #spring #recipe #springdishes #foodandwine #food52 #nytimescooking #bonappetit #marthastewart #lacucinaitalianausa
🌿NEW CLASS: “Pretty Pasta Please Workshop” 🌿NEW CLASS: “Pretty Pasta Please Workshop” - April 24 11am PT🌿

I’ve been itching to do a laminated pasta class since last winter ~ and with Spring herbs and flowers popping up everywhere ~ now is the perfect time. During this workshop, we’ll be taking pasta-making to the next level and mastering the art of laminating (layering) sheets of egg pasta dough with fresh herbs, flowers, and other natural ingredients to make it pretty...and pretty fabulous ✨. 

Join me online of Saturday, April 24 and learn to use your creativity and pasta rolling machine to make decorative pasta designs that are edible works of art. Tap the link in my bio to reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cook-italian-pretty-pasta-please-online-pasta-making-workshop-tickets-149795182423 

#italianchef #italiancooking #italianfood #cookitalian #cookingclass #deborahcooks #deborahsitaliankitchen #onlinecookingclass #pasta #pastamaking #handmadepasta #decorativepasta #prettypasta #laminatedpasta #nextlevelpasta #foodart #food #spring #recipe #springdishes #foodandwine #food52 #nytimescooking #bonappetit #marthastewart #lacucinaitalianausa
My Springtime Gnocchi x 2 cooking class yesterday My Springtime Gnocchi x 2 cooking class yesterday was delicious fun and here are the GNUDI (“naked” spinach + ricotta gnocchi) to prove it! Thank you to all who participated 💚. 

“Nudo e crudo” (naked and raw) is a familiar saying in Italy that means to present oneself as you are...pure and simple with no facades or pretenses. That’s what I strive to do in my cooking classes (fully clothed of course : ). I offer my experience, knowledge, and secrets cultivated from a lifetime of cooking (for pleasure, passion, by profession) and my unique 20-year ‘herstory’ of living full-time in Italy as a reborn Italian. Pure and simply, my mission is to teach people to live a better quality lifestyle through the art of Italian cooking and living...wherever they may reside. 

The rewards are immeasurable for me (and, I eat very well 😆).

#italianchef #italiancooking #italianfood #cookitalian #cookingclass #italyincalifornia #deborahcooks #deborahsitaliankitchen #italianfoodcontentcreator #contentcreator #food  #gnocchi #gnudi #springtime #ricotta #dumplings #recipe #springdishes #foodandwine #food52 #nytimescooking #bonappetit #marthastewart #lacucinaitalianausa
Gnocchi lovers PSA: my “Springtime Gnocchi x 2” online cooking class is Saturday, April 10 and there are still a few spots available! During this class, I’ll teach you to make not one but two delectable dumplings using fresh and healthy Spring vegetables. We’ll make ‘Gnudi’, those irresistible spinach and ricotta gnocchi from Florence and adorable Carrot Gnocchetti with Carrot Top Pesto. Don’t miss this delicious opportunity to expand your gnocchi repertoire! Click on the link in bio to reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cook-italian-springtime-gnocchi-x-2-online-cooking-class-tickets-147858357327

#italianchef #italiancooking #italianfood #cookitalian #cookingclass #italyincalifornia #italiancookingclasses #onlinecookingclaases #food #gnocchi #dumplings #gnudi #spring #recipe #springdishes #foodandwine #food52 #nytimescooking #bonappetit #marthastewart #lacucinaitalianausa
CARBONARA A MODO MIO (MY WAY) I created this moder CARBONARA A MODO MIO (MY WAY)
I created this modern, deconstructed version of the revered Roman pasta dish many years ago in a raptus of creativity. For me, a chef who can make canonical Carbonara with my eyes closed, it was an exhilarating exercise in breaking the mold without breaking the rules. I adhered to every obligatory ingredient but turned them upside down...playing with food out of love and respect for tradition and good taste ~ never gratuitous or gross. It was a fun challenge and not meant to replace or offend the classic version. 

Then I posted the photo on social media for Carbonara Day (April 6) with the hashtag #carbonara...and all hell broke loose! I got insults and death threats, swear words (in Roman slang, much worse) and fury. How dare I touch the sacrosante icon of La Carbonara and call it such. No doubt it will happen once I post it again today ~ but I don’t care. I’ll celebrate #carbonaraday tomorrow by making the perfectly authentic version that I learned from the best in Rome and follow every step to make it “come si deve”, as it should be. Then I’ll look at the photo of my blasphemous dish and smile knowing that I can play with my food and eat it too. 

Happy Carbonara Day!

#italianchef #italiancooking #italianfood #cookitalian #cookingclass #italyincalifornia #deborahcooks #deborahsitaliankitchen #italianfoodcontentcreator #contentcreator #food  #pasta #romancuisine #rome #carbonara #recipe #spaghettiallacarbonara #newitaliancooking #modernitalian #creativecooking #foodandwine #food52 #nytimescooking #bonappetit #marthastewart #lacucinaitalianausa
PASTIERA, a traditional tart made in every Neapoli PASTIERA, a traditional tart made in every Neapolitan home for Easter, is a religion in itself. Rigorously made 3 days prior to Easter Sunday, it’s a true slow-food labor of love that can’t be rushed. While each family recipe is a bit different, all include the essential elements: a sweet pastry dough (pasta frolla) shell filled with creamy custard made of pre-cooked grains (wheat berries being the most common), ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, citrus zest, vanilla, orange blossom water, cinnamon, and candied orange peel, then topped with exactly 7 pastry lattice strips (4 in one direction and 3 diagonally) and baked until puffed and golden. Pastiera must rest for the following 3 days for flavors to develop and mingle but the result on Easter Sunday is worth the wait. A cross between cheesecake and rice pudding with aromatic citrus notes that are absolutely swoon-worthy, Pastiera has probably converted many non-believers with its heavenly flavors. This year, I made “piccole” (mini) Pastiere using barley instead of wheat berries and homemade candied orange and citron peel. It’ll be hard to resist tasting them until Easter, but will be well worth the sacrifice 😇.
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