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“Cooking is never just a recipe; it is the basic art of creating something special from something simple and fresh”
------Maria Liberati, from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking
Maria Liberati has been called the ‘Italian Martha Stewart “by Celebrity Society Magazine (May 2006). A company unto herself- Maria Liberati is the creator of the trademark Maria Literati’s The Basic Art of Italian Cooking ™, new line of spices developed in Italy- Sapori D’Italia; hosting her soon to be released TV show; bestselling The Basic Art of Italian Cooking- book series; successful entrepreneur, former successful international supermodel, volunteer for many charities she has chosen to donate portions of the proceeds of her book to Gilda’s Club.
The world has taken notice from her feature articles in national publications like Healthy Cooking, Tastes of Italia, Cooking Light magazines as well as being featured in Italian -Taste and Tour Italia and RAI network
After her whirlwind career as an international supermodel modeling throughout the world in Europe and Australia- Maria began working more and more in Italy and began delving into her family history there. Summers would be spent at the family vineyard in the mountains of Abruzzo.
Finding out that her grandparents owned a well known bakery in their region and her great aunt cooked for some members of the royal family sparked (what she now calls) her dormant interest in foods and cooking. She began consulting with chefs that were family friends and would spend hours working on translating and reworking some of the old recipes she found that were left by great aunt Angelina. Some pretty impressive first courses and oh so royal desserts!!
She continued studying with chefs in are trattorias and country farms. During her vacations- Maria would busy herself with her new found passion (as she describes it) food and cooking. She soon found herself putting together cooking programs for English, German and Japanese tourists at various vineyards in Italy.
Famed Italian painter/artist Sergio Terzi begged her to allow him to paint her portrait for a special showing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY. His studio was conveniently located next to a farm that produces the art of Italian cheeses- Parmigiano-Reggiano. While staying with Sergio and his wife at their villa she began working with the farmers and studying the process and art of making Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Maria took a small office for writing and began compiling her first book. Soon she began getting requests to put together programs in the States and writing articles on food and restaurant reviews for many national publications as well as lecturing at many culinary schools and developing programs.
She finally found a use for her degree in Foreign Language Education which she received from Temple University. Her love of languages always encouraged her to study more and at one point she was studying French, Spanish and Italian all at once.
Maria’s passion for food and art and what she does has led many to look to her as an informative source for Italian cooking and foods as well as lifestyle. She is also a successful businesswoman and was one of the founders of an investment company that was selected by Wharton Business School at University of Pennsylvania as one of Philadelphia’s fastest growing companies in Philadelphia for 2004 and 2005.
But Maria’s passion began when she was only 4 years old and would accompany her ‘nonno’ (grandfather) on shopping trips to the Italian market in Philadelphia to get his grapes to make his wine. Nonno had wine making equipment imported from the family vineyard in Italy to his home in South Philadelphia. He installed it in the lower basement of the house. He would teach Maria how to pick the fruits and vegetables that ‘nonna’ used for Sunday dinner. We would go to 1 store to buy one specific thing. To the bread bakery for the bread, to the cheese store to get our cheese, the fruit and vegetable vendors to get fruits and vegetables and to the butcher for meat- just like in Italy..
Maria continues to work on her second book “The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, Spaghetti at Midnight” which will be illustrated by world renowned architect/artist Mariano Moroni and will highlight pasta recipes and menus and meals based around pasta as a main course. The illustrations will be included in the limited edition version of the book and will highlight the history and love affair Italy has with its pasta.
She continues to work on her blog from her villa and office in Italy since she lives between the USA and Italy. Maria Liberati’s The Basic Art of Italian Cooking newsletter has grown to a subscription base of over 15,00 readers from all over he world- not only the US, but Hong Kong, England, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. "The Basic Art of Italian Cooking" will be officially released in the UK and Ireland in late 2007.
She has hosted and delighted audiences from International Wine Festivals, Cooking shows, fairs and conventions in all over the US to Rome, Abruzzi and Florence in Italy. She is consistently endorsed by some of the world’s leading chefs for her savvy and simplistic, yet healthy approach to cooking and good food.
Maria Liberati’s "The Basic Art of Italian Cooking" is truly a work of art and has been so referred to as the “gap between art and life” by world renowned Italian architect and artist Mariano Moroni.
Speaking Topics
Besides delivering entertaining cooking programs and demos here is a list of other speaking topics:
*The Art of Living
Provides a blueprint for living. How to achieve success in everyday life, career, and family. Maria’s philosophy is to approach life as an art, just as she approaches her cooking. She has developed a formula for the true art of living
*Recipe for Success
Maria has delivered countless team building, corporate cooking programs for success. However she approaches creating and executing her recipes just as she approaches executing a successful career, business. Join Maria as she discusses the recipe for success and the most important ingredients.
*La Dolce V.I.T.A.
One of Maria’s upcoming books- La Dolce V.I.T.A. approach to life-which stands for:
Vitality, Italian style, with Taste and Activity. Why is it that Italians have the healthiest lifestyle and eating habits of all of the European countries and they make it look effortless? Audiences will be entertained by Maria’s musings on Italian life as well as useful information on how to achieve your own la Dolce Vita in life, career, and family
*Live Your Best Life-Create your Masterpiece. Maria uses the philosophy of famed Italian painter- Michelangelo to discuss how to achieve greatness in all things. Based on his famous saying that “If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery it wouldn’t seem so wonderful”- To create your life as a masterpiece, a true work of art, you must work at it with the same passion as all of the great artists used to work on their works of art. How to find your passion to create your masterpiece.
*Pasta and Magic- based on famous Italian movie director Federico Fellini’s saying that “Life is a combination of Pasta and Magic”- Maria entertains with musings on how to make your life a combination of pasta and magic. Audience members participate in a history of pasta, unknown facts about pasta trivia game with prizes. This speech can also include a pasta cooking and tasting demo.
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