About

Want to know more about me? Here’s the story behind my obsession with food and travel.

That’s me with my mum (17) and my dad (30). In short, it’s in my DNA: I’m Italian, but was born in Scotland and live in California. I make everything ranging from pancetta to sticky toffee pudding to Korean bulgogi. I am not a trained chef, or even a trained cook, as I have never gone to cooking school. However, I am a World Porridge Champion (2014), and have won several other cooking and baking contests by learning from my Italian-born mother.

ADDED May 27, 2024: I refuse to use AI for any of my content, you will only find tried and tested recipes, and human-written content here.

Professional Experience

I am an international food judge, recipe and content creator, afternoon tea consultant, and travel writer.

You may have seen me on the BBC Good Food Show interview stage alongside Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, and James Martin in Glasgow, Scotland.

Founder and Cultural Supervisor of the Tiramisù Academy California, along with Cynthia McCloud Woodman, and Ale Gambini.

In the US, I’ve been a VIP diner on Masterchef with Gordon Ramsay, not once, but twice.

Watch me discuss my overcooked steak with Christina Tosi in the episode clip below.

Please visit my Work With Me page for sponsored,
and professional collaborations.

Having a unique perspective from British, Italian and American viewpoints, I see the best and worst of each culture and cuisine. Let me share the best of each with you. Let’s put aside the boxes of cake mix, processed ingredients, faux-chocolate products (like Hershey’s), non-dairy whipped topping, and cook and bake with REAL ingredients. I promise you that it’s just as quick and easy, but with better tasting, healthier results!

I know what it’s like to be on the other side of the judging panel, too. Here I am cooking up my award-winning sticky toffee porridge in Carrbridge, Scotland in 2014.

Updated July 2018: Another cooking lesson in Lugano, Switzerland: making risotto at a grotto!

Family and Culinary Background

My mother always cooked everything from scratch (virtually no mixes, boxes, cans) and we almost never went out to eat when I was growing up. She’s always had her own garden, so fresh produce was a given. She grew up in a little village and her family was poor, so she has passed down many of Nonna Chiarina’s cucina povera recipes. My mother is the reason I have most of my cooking skills and expertise; she is my wealth of knowledge, and I still ask for her advice, especially with Italian recipes.

My father had a fish and chip shop in Glasgow, Scotland, and to this day, I’ve never had any fish that tasted as phenomenal as his.

My dad was also born in Scotland to Italian parents. He will tell you stories about old times when he was a cook in the army in Northern Ireland. He’ll rattle on about his road trips from Scotland to Italy with his cousin Filippo on the back of his Lambretta fully loaded with gear, going over the Alps, and laugh until he cries–even though it’s him retelling his own story for the 111th time.

Dad loves spaghetti with anchovies and tries to convert all non-anchovy lovers he meets!

We used to drive from Scotland to Italy every summer when I was growing up. I remember going through all the European countries, and although I’d always get car sick before we reached England, I still couldn’t wait for that road trip each year.

When I was 9 years old, my family immigrated to the US–-Michigan, to be exact. The worst part of our move was not being able to go back to Europe and see family for about 10 years. I lasted as long as I could in the frigid climate, and left Michigan after graduating from college. I went to graduate school in San Diego which had a slightly more pleasant climate.

I lived with Korean friends when I first moved to Los Angeles, so I learned to make many delicious Korean dishes like mung bean pancakes, bulgogi, gamja salad, and doenjang jjigae.

I also had Filipino neighbors for some time, one of whom also was a very talented cook. She taught me how to make several Filipino favorites like lumpia.

My husband is an audio engineer, but he always tries to tell me what to do in the kitchen.

I have two children, and two degrees in psychology (one for each child).

Denisa has been helping me with content on my website for the past few years as she has a great eye for photography, high standards, and great work ethic.

She’s a huge foodie and excellent home cook, and has actually published a few posts for me like this surprisingly delicious kale salad, chewy brown butter cookies, and these cosy Taylor Swift chai cookies.

You can read more on my Meyer lemon cake recipe.

My Food Philosophy

I believe natural, simple and healthy ingredients are the best, but in some cases “everything in moderation” is not only justified, but necessary (e.g. sweets)! I also believe that you can’t make something that tastes good by using ingredients that taste bad, so I always use the best quality ingredients I can buy, and use organic produce, free range eggs, wild-caught seafood, and grass-fed meat whenever possible. If I can’t source these items, I will make something else.

Most people don’t realize that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to eat well. People ask me why their food doesn’t taste like mine when they make one of my recipes, and inevitably, it’s because they didn’t use the same quality ingredients.

I’m a label reader: if I can’t pronounce it, if I don’t know what it is, if the ingredient list looks like a page from the Bible: I just put it back on the shelf. No corn syrup, aspartame, propylene glycol or any other chemicals in my food, thank you! It’s all about eating real food and quality.

Random Things

Non posso parlare Italiano molto bene.

I could easily be vegetarian if it weren’t for bacon and black pudding, homemade cured Italian sausages, British sausages, pancetta and salumi. Basically, it’s a pig problem that I have.

I love traveling about as much as cooking and eating–-yes, that much!

I used to be a social worker and taught parenting skills; my mantra: be consistent and follow through. That show with the Nanny? Yep, that was exactly what I did.

I am a picture taking fiend, and worked in a photo lab for 6 years. I have won several photography contests, three of which have resulted in trips to vineyards in France Avellino and Valdobbiadene, Italy.

I can recite the prologue to the Canterbury Tales in Middle English, and just loooove Shakespeare.

My Inspiration

My Nonna Chiarina was the best cook I’ve ever known. I know everyone says that about their grandma, but you’ll never know the flavors of her dishes and creations. I still remember when she’d come to visit us in Scotland, she’d make me fresh zabaglione with Marsala all’uovo for breakfast. I couldn’t wait to run into the cantina when we’d go to Italy. The scent of sausages, cheese, prosciutto and coolness of the room made the for most incredible aroma I still recall to this day. I still associate the smell with my nonni.

Last, but not least, I cannot fail to mention my Nonno Scipione. He was a farmer and local “doctor” to the villagers, healing sore tummies, and mending sprains with beaten egg whites and cloth to make a homemade cast. He was a POW in WWII and taken to Australia. When he spoke in broken English, he had an Australian accent which was so cute! As a POW, he embroidered each of his 5 daughters a beautiful image of a saint as a memento from his time in prison. Unfortunately, my mother and Zia Francesca don’t have one as they were born after he returned from Australia. Here is his St Teresa.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have created a career doing exactly what I love to do. I feel as though my Nonno Scipione is always looking out for me, and is at least partially responsible for my amazing luck. You can read about one of the reasons I feel this way in this post when my mother and I visited Parma, and the room we were given in a very special hotel.

If you’re still here, and feel a bit of a connection to the person behind Christina’s Cucina, I hope you’ll sign up to receive FREE recipes and travel inspiration straight to your inbox. You can also “like” Christina’s Cucina on Facebook, or follow me on X , Pinterest, or Instagram –I’ll be forever grateful!

Grazie and cheers!

Christina

“You can take the girl out of Scotland,
but you can’t take Scotland out of the girl!”

All rights reserved. Christina Conte

Don’t miss another recipe or travel post; sign up for my free subscription!