My passion for the delights of Southern Italian cuisine comes from a childhood watching my Mum and Zia's create delicious meals using whatever produce they had. The long Sunday lunch, gathering the family together, eating dishes that were made with love – what could be better?

 

So I embarked on what I thought would be an ideal career for me, an apprentice chef in a high-end Sydney restaurant. But I was disappointed. It wasn’t for me. It wasn’t the cooking style I enjoyed and the environment wasn’t fun. However, I was chosen by the Executive Chef to train with him in Paris as he believed I had exceptional qualities with creating recipes. So after much pondering, I declined and that’s where my dream of becoming a chef ended. I went on to work in the corporate world but still spent time in the kitchen with Mum and Zia cooking for the whole family.

 

My passion for Southern Italian food has intensified after several trips to Southern Italy, where I spent many months in Calabria, Sicily and Puglia absorbing the Southern Italian way of life. To see the traditions of my childhood alive and well within this community, deeply woven into the fabric of their existence, reminded me of traditions my family and other Italian migrants, brought with them in the 1950’s but have slowly slipped away. 

 

This ignited a hunger to preserve these practices and so Sempre Affamato was born. Sempre Affamato means ‘always hungry’ and that’s what my classes are about – hunger to keep traditions alive, hunger to learn, hunger to take advantage of the seasons and importantly, hunger to share

 

My classes focus on the tradition of the long Sunday family lunch, where everyone plays a role in making the meal and together we eat – just as my family did. You will learn to make classic Southern Italian dishes, homemade pasta and mouth watering pasta sauces, as well as learning about their origins and how these dishes have influenced other famous Italian dishes like Pizza and Pasta Fazool.

 

I look forward to seeing you in one of our classes

Cucina Felice

Stefano