Mary Ann Esposito

Expert Interview: Mary Ann Esposito

Behind the Chef

What were your favorite foods growing up?
Fried dough, lasagna, gnocchi and chocolate cake.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
After a pivotal trip to Italy made me realize that what I was learning in cooking classes abroad I innately knew from my all-Italian, all-the-time upbringing.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
Growing up in Depew, NY, I was steeped in the artistry of Italian cooking: Both nonnas, one Sicilian and one Neapolitan, were Italian natives and professional cooks.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
Archeologist

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
Both nonnas: one Sicilian and one Neapolitan.

How would you describe your cuisine?
New American with Indian influences.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
Immersion blender, 8 inch chef knife and food processor.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Lemon juice

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Respect and learn from each other.

What is your least favorite food?
Liver

What is your beverage of choice?
Red wine

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Small plates and food foams

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Italy

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
My engagement party meal my mother cooked.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Cook from intuition.

What do you eat when you are home?
Fruits, vegetables, cheese, nuts, yogurt and fish.

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Expert Profile

Authenticity, history, and tradition: three tenets of Mary Ann Esposito and her cooking that have made her one of America's best-known and most loved television chefs. Broadcast nationally and internationally, Mary Ann's PBS cooking series Ciao Italia is television's longest-running cooking show. For 20 years Mary Ann has been as renowned for her knowledge of authentic Italian cuisine as her warm, encouraging approach to instructing her audience-of-all-ages.

Growing up in Depew, New York, Mary Ann was steeped in the artistry of Italian cooking: Both nonnas, one Sicilian and one Neapolitan, were Italian natives and professional cooks, so life inside the Saporito household was decidedly Italian, no matter what was going on outside their front door in Western New York.

After a pivotal trip to Italy made her realize that what she was learning in cooking classes abroad she innately knew from her all-Italian, all-the-time upbringing, she pondered the "what ifs" of hosting a cable program that would teach the cooking lessons she learned as a child that were being unearthed in her adulthood culinary awakening. The result was Ciao Italia.

Today, 20 years later, Mary Ann has been recognized by countless organizations for her efforts to preserve the traditions surrounding Italian food and culture, and has become the doyenne of PBS.

In addition to producing Ciao Italia and making nationwide appearances, Mary Ann has written 10 cookbooks -- Ciao Italia Slow and Easy (St. Martin's Press) -- hit bookstores November 13, 2007.