By Andrew Cotto
Being recognized this past spring by the Italian Language Foundation as a Giambelli Culinary Award recipient was an honor. What made this moment particularly unique is that the basis for this recognition was (as the proudly displayed plaque in my office reads): For your commitment to excellence as an award-winning author, journalist, co-founder & editor-in-chief of Appetito Magazine and passion for Italian culture and language. This unexpected path began as a writer and an Italophile on my first visit to Italy 20 years ago.
I had discovered a love of literature and a passion for storytelling in college. My post-graduation plan was to pursue a life as a teacher and writer. Instead, I accepted a job in corporate sales that I was perfectly happy with until that fateful first trip to Italy. It was a late afternoon in Florence, sipping prosecco and looking over the River Arno, when I decided to change my life. As I often say: Italy made me do it.
Three years later, I was living in the hills south of Florence writing my first novel. After returning to New York a year later, with an agent and acceptance to graduate school, I completed a second novel and received my Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. After the second novel was published, my agent pointed out to me that both of my books featured strong Italian food writing. Thus began my work as an Italian food writer, regularly contributing to publications such as The New York Times, Men’s Journal, Relish, Rachel Ray In Season, La Cucina Italiana and many more.
I also began leaning into the Italian food aspects of my novels, using food not just as a sensory device but as a means of plot development and character development. This is most notable in my “Italian Adventure” series (Cucina Tipica and Cucina Romana, respectively) which both take place in Italy and emphasize Italian cuisine as not just a source of pleasure but also of wellness.
And this desire to promote Italian cuisine, culture and travel in myriad ways is what inspired the creation in 2023 of Appetito Magazine. Our digital publication tells stories, shares recipes, provides insights and tips, and – most importantly – fosters community. That’s what I was after all along with my dream of being a storyteller. And Italian food was my muse.