What were your favorite foods growing up?
Vine-ripe tomatoes; my grandmother's deviled eggs (one of the only things she could make!); pasta from Da Silvano; my mom's Fritatta.

When did you decide you wanted to open your own restaurant?
I think it happened a long time ago but I was in denial…The wheels started rolling last year, in January 2008.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
Pretty much the day I got home from the hospital after they let me out of the incubator. My dad was already owning and operating Da Silvano, so I was literally BORN into it!

If you didn't become a restaurateur, what would you be?
A hotelier.

What's the hardest part about opening a restaurant (what are the biggest challenges)?
The biggest overall challenge is knowing that you will never get it all done. There is always something you could or should be doing to make the business better.

What's the best part about having a restaurant of your own?
Having good free food and a second home, with a staff that is starting to feel like family.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Be prepared to work hard, and do so with a smile on your face!

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at Scuderia, what should I order to eat?
String beans and chicken livers; the Polpette (meatballs); the Escarole Salad with Beets; the Skirt Steak with 3 dipping sauces.

What is your least favorite food?
Bananas! Even the smell of one makes me nauseous. The texture is even worse…

What is your beverage of choice?
A Bloody Mary. With Mr & Mrs T's "The Works" mix.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
It feels like comfort food is back, and the local/organic trend doesn't seem to be going anywhere -- I'm a fan of both!

Which foreign country inspires the style of Scuderia?
Italia!

What/where was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
I've been lucky to have had SO MANY spectacular meals, this is a toughie…I don't think I have only one answer—some have been at Da Silvano, some at our house in Florence with my dad cooking, an amazing dinner in Panzano cooked by Mimmo Baldi, who owns Enoteca Baldi there… A birthday dinner at Jean-Georges a few years ago—I can't even remember how many courses we ate…and the list goes on…

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Buy good ingredients, that way the simplest of dishes will taste great.

What do you eat when you are home?
My boyfriend's homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese or his herb-roasted chicken; take-out sushi from Yama; Haagen Daas Coffee Frozen Yogurt.