Mary Ann Esposito

Mary Ann Esposito (born August 3, 1942) is an American chef, cookbook writer (having published over a dozen cookbooks ), and the television host of Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito, which started in 1989 and is the longest-running television cooking program in America. moved to the United States from Italy in the 1890s. Her paternal grandmother, from Sicily, owned a butcher shop in Fairport, New York, and her maternal grandmother lived in Buffalo, where she owned a boarding house. The latter grandmother was from Naples, and continued the traditions of her Italian household within the boarding house. The boarding house was the only house in the neighborhood that had a bathtub, and on Friday nights she would offer neighbors a bath and dinner for a quarter. While her grandmothers provided traditional Italian food, Esposito desired to eat standard foods like other children: Wonder Bread and iceberg lettuce. and New Hampshire Home.

Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito, is a thirty-minute cooking show produced for PBS by Esposito's own Mary Esposito Productions, and taped at New Hampshire Public Television. The show features Esposito's recipes and cooking tips, and visits from guest chefs. She also explores the history of Italian cooking and food.

When deciding what to feature on the show, Esposito has four standards: she must like to eat the food, the ingredients should be easy to find, the recipe should be something unique and new to the viewer, and should be manageable by the kitchen staff. Every episode has twenty volunteers who work on the show. An entire season of shows, generally about thirty-two episodes, can be taped within two weeks during the summer, with two to three shows being taped a day.

All of the food is made from scratch in the studio, with each dish being prepared in numerous batches and at different recipe stages. This allows Esposito to execute an entire recipe in a matter of minutes that might take hours to complete. All of the recipes are planned by Esposito and the kitchen staff. Volunteers gather all the pertinent ingredients from local markets and go to Boston for specialty foods if unavailable locally.

Recipes are prepared the day of the show. Ciao Italia is not scripted. The studio set is loosely based on Esposito's home kitchen. The view out the window of the set is painted to appear as the view of the Oyster River, which is seen from her home kitchen. To prepare for shows, Esposito researches and tests recipes outside the studio.

Restaurant In 2020, Esposito opened a restaurant, also named "Ciao Italia". Ownership and business model quickly pivoted, the very next year, 2021, to a wine bar owned by the Clark Family. Esposito is no longer mentioned on the website.

Recognitions A scholarship foundation named after and maintained by Esposito awards scholarships for students seeking financial aid to study culinary arts. Esposito was awarded an honorary degree from St. Anselm College. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Culinary and Cultural Arts of Italy by the Order Sons of Italy in America. She is in the Hall of Fame for the Italian Trade Commission. She was one of 160 people worldwide to receive this honor in 2013, and the only American.

Esposito was honored in 2004 with the Advancement in Career award by her alma mater Daemen College.

Publications

Plant, Harvest, Cook!: Ciao Italia. Peter E. Randall Publisher: New Hampshire (2022). My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy: Ciao Italia Peter E. Randall Publisher: New Hampshire (2018). Celebrations Italian Style: Recipes and Menus for Special Occasions and Seasons of the Year. Hearst Books: New York (1995). . Morrow Cookbooks: New York (1991). . Bringing Italy Home. . Family Classics: More than 200 Treasured Recipes from 3 Generations of Italian Cooks. St. Martin's Press: New York (2011). . Five-Ingredient Favorites: Quick and Delicious Recipes from an Italian Kitchen. St. Martin's Press: New York (2009). . Tuscany: Traditional Recipes from One of Italy's Most Famous Regions. St. Martin's Press: New York (2003). . Umbria: Recipes and Reflections from the Heart of Italy. St. Martin's Press: New York (2002). . CPronto!: 30-Minute Recipes from an Italian Kitchen. St. Martin's Press: New York (2005). . Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen. St. Martin's Press: New York (2007). . Mangia Pasta!: Easy-To-Make Recipes for Company and Every Day. Morrow Cookbooks: New York (1998). . Nella Cucina: More Italian Cooking from the Host of Cucina Italiana. Morrow Cookbooks: New York (1993). . What You Knead. Morrow Cookbooks: New York (1997). .