Our instructors have years of experience with cooking and specifically Italian Cuisine - Especially PASTA.
We grew up eating the homemade food of our Italian immigrant parents (from Calabria) - watching and learning. Authentic Italian food is about the simple preparation of a few fresh, local, high quality ingredients. We are excited to share these traditions with you. Scroll down to learn more…
Carmella Alvaro
Owner & Pasta Maker
Il Laboratorio & Melina’s Fresh Pasta
My parents, Giuseppe and Giuseppa, came to America with my sister, Rita, and brother, Rocco, over fifty years ago from Sinopoli, a small town near Reggio, Calabria, on the southern tip of Italy. I was born in Syracuse, NY a few years later and was lucky enough to grow up in the local close knit Italian American community watching my Mom cook meals from scratch, using ingredients my Dad grew in his backyard garden. After leaving home, I missed the homemade Italian food I grew up with so I took a trip to Italy to learn how to make fresh pasta. When I returned I founded Melina’s Fresh Pasta in 2010.
Daniela Stanganelli
Instructor & Personal Chef
Owner, Baked by D
Daniela is a 1st generation Italian American who moved to NC from Clearwater, Florida where she grew up in her family’s Italian market. That is where Daniela grew a love for baking, cooking and hospitality. She now owns her own businesses Ds Corner Kitchen, where she offers weekly meal prep services. She also owns Baked By D and loves keeping Italian traditions alive by offering classic Italian baked good. Having baked a long side her Italian mother for most of her life, she is excited to share everything she’s learned over the years with people who attend her Italian cookie classes.
“The simpler the food, the harder it is to prepare it well.”
Chef Joel Robuchon