Señora Favorite
Lidia Bastianich
Istria / New York
America’s Italian grandmother — author, restaurateur, and PBS host who has taught generations to cook Italian food with soul, history, and her signature warm authority.
Known for: Her PBS show, Felidia restaurant, and 13+ cookbooks
Lidia’s Celebrate Like an Italian
Señora Favorite
Rachel Roddy
Rome, Italy
British food writer based in Rome whose books and Guardian column capture the beauty of Roman home cooking — humble, market-driven, and profoundly honest.
Known for: Five Quarters and An A-Z of Pasta
An A-Z of Pasta
Anna del Conte
Milan / London
The doyenne of Italian cooking in Britain, Anna del Conte’s books are the gold standard — authoritative, precise, and written with the quiet elegance of a great literary cook.
Known for: The Gastronomy of Italy — the definitive reference book
The Gastronomy of Italy
Benedetta Rossi
Le Marche, Italy
Italy’s most-followed food creator, Benedetta makes traditional Italian home cooking from her farmhouse kitchen — unpretentious, real, and universally beloved.
Known for: Her YouTube channel Fatto in Casa da Benedetta with 2M+ subscribers
Fatto in Casa da Benedetta
Emiko Davies
Florence, Italy
Australian-Japanese food writer and illustrator who has made Florence her home and Florentine cuisine her life’s study — with gorgeous results.
Known for: Florentine and a series of regional Italian cookbooks
Florentine
Giulia Scarpaleggia
Tuscany, Italy
Tuscan food writer, photographer, and author behind Juls’ Kitchen — a passionate chronicler of Tuscan seasons, traditions, and the slow rituals of Italian country life.
Known for: Her Tuscan food blog and From Scratch cookbook
From Scratch: 10 Meals, 175 Recipes
Laura Vitale
Naples / New Jersey
YouTube pioneer and cookbook author who brought Italian-American home cooking to millions — approachable, generous, and infused with genuine Neapolitan warmth.
Known for: Her Laura in the Kitchen YouTube channel with 4M+ subscribers
Laura in the Kitchen
Missy Robbins
New York
Chef-owner of Lilia and Misi in Brooklyn, Missy is widely considered New York’s finest pasta chef — technically brilliant, obsessively sourced, emotionally resonant.
Known for: Lilia’s mafaldini with pink peppercorns and whipped ricotta
Pasta: The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food
