The Italian Food Experience | Cooking Vacations Schools in Italy Venice Tuscany Amalfi Sorrento Coast

	Our Team USA & Italy We’ve got you covered! Cooking Vacations is an American based company, with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts; and with an office in Positano, Italy. Our staff is a professional group of experts who bring you the best of food, wine and travel in Italy. Call us at 1.800.916.1152 or email us at info@cooking-vacations.com
	Lauren Birmingham Creator & Owner Lauren is an artist at heart. She created Cooking Vacations Italy and continues to bring new cooking experiences as she travels across Italy, always meeting chefs, wine makers and food experts. Lauren began her career in the communications as a writer and photographing for The Brown Daily Herald at Brown University. She graduated, moved to Paris and joined the marketing & publicity department at Hasbro Toys, Paris, France. She returned to Boston and created Birmingham Public Relations where she managed media campaigns for Red Sox, Celtic, Patriot & Bruins sports stars, Chefs, Rebook Sports, and the Boston Marathon. A published writer & photographer, and foodie at heart, she loves to cook! Traveling, discovering new food recipes & trends is a never-ending adventure. Born in the USA, she is an Italian-American who now lives in Positano, Italy.
	Melody Silterra Manager at Cooking Vacations Melody, Manager at Cooking Vacations, a lover of food, wine and all things Italian, lives in Positano. Inspired by languages, Melody studied Spanish, French and Italian and chose to pursue Italian due to her Italian roots: Great Grandfather Enrico Guerra, from near Montefiascone in Lazio and Great Grandmother Rosa Bianco from Catanzaro, Calabria. Nonno Giuseppe Francesco Guerra served in Italy during World War II and continues to enjoy speaking Italian with Melody. Melody came to Italy shortly after her graduation from Georgetown University looking to put 3 years of Italian study into practice. Since living in Italy, Melody has worked in a hotel in Positano, taught English in Salerno and Rome and worked for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. Her expertise is Rome, Torino and the Amalfi Coast-where she works in the Cooking Vacations’ Positano office. Melody’s passion lies in revealing true Italy to those who come visit.
	Germaine Stafford Food Writer Germaine Stafford brings us “Italy On A Plate” each month-a culinary round-up of what is happening in the culinary world and gives you her chef of the month, book recommendation, and seasonal foods. Germaine is a fulltime freelance writer who has spent the last 14 years of her life in Italy. For the last 5 years she has been the food and cookery correspondent for Italy published in Britain, has won a variety of competitions for both her fiction and non- fiction work, and in 2004 reached the final of the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger award. When she’s not writing, she’s probably eating and drinking or has her nose stuck in a good book.
	Marie Lucia Birmingham Accounting A chef at heart and always in the kitchen, Marie heads up the accounting department keeping all the reservations in order. She loves to cook,-while listening to her Italian classics. She follows in the foot-steps of her mom Philomena and her grandmother Lucia, as a mom and cook. And like her grandmother, she is always with her children and grandchildren. Marie loves it best when she is rolling out dough, making fresh pasta and baking those sweet biscotti with granddaughters Chloe Lucia and Siena Rose.
	Todd English Executive Chef & Restauranteur Contribuiting his award-winning recipes each month Todd English one of the most decorated, respected and charismatic chefs in the world, Has enjoyed a staggering number of accolades during his remarkable career. He has been recognized by several of the food industrys’ most prestigious publications, established one of the best-known restaurant brands in the nation, published theree critically acclaimed cookbooks, and was named People’s Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. Each month Todd brings us his amazing recipes!
	Paulo A Lima, MSc Food Culture Food Trends Paulo brings food trends to Cooking Vacations each month. He currently is the food trends director for the world's number one food luxury project called LA Organic, a project headed by the famous French architect and designer Philippe Starck and the world's most respected enologist Michel Rolland. Lima is an expert in gastronomy trends and marketing with a Master of Sciences in Food Culture and Communication from Universita di Scienze Gastronomiche / Slow Food in Italy, a post graduate degree in e-business and in Consumer Psychology from New York University, and a BSc in Marketing from Rio de Janeiro's Universidade Cidade; Paulo travels all over the world locating exciting new products, a mission that allows him to combine his passion for discovering authentic terroir-specific foods with his desire to bring them to a select group of food lovers. Paulo is a master of-analysis of markets that identify and forecast lifestyle and food trends. Prior LA Organic, Paulo was the gastronomy trends director for Italy's Appennino Truffle Group, the world's second largest truffle trading firm based in Bologna. Prior he was marketing manager at Italian Cooking and Living Media Group - La Cucina Italiana Magazine in New York.
	John Corbett Wine Sommelier John, our wine expert brings his knowledge of food and wine to Cooking Vacations each month. While traveling Italy for new and interesting cooking programs and wineries, John also heads our computer operations when he is not traveling. A respected food & wine expert, he brings us new wine picks from producers throughout Italy each month. His love for wine inspired him to take courses and attend wine tastings expanding his know-how in the wine world.
	Sara Graphic Designer Sara, who adds her talent to our graphics and website, is an artist with as many passions as there are colors in the rainbow. Italy captured her heart when she was 16 years old and that love drew her back to Rome her junior year of art school at RISD. Not only was the art overwhelmingly inspiring, but the food & wine of Italy equally played a role in her joyous experience. Since, she has worked closely with cheese and wine in gourmet shops and cellars, and loves to share her knowledge and cooking with her friends and family. Upon graduating, Sara created her own company, which began as a stationery business and has grown into a graphic design and illustration career. With a strong desire to combine the two passions, she has been pursuing design & illustration work within the wine and culinary fields, thus propelling her into the world of Cooking Vacations! Sara currently lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts.
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