We’re so excited to have acclaimed and authority on Italian cooking Valentina Harris as our guest chef with her Spaghetti Vongole!
Tracing her family history back to 1369 through the illustrious Sforza dynasty, Valentina gained her cooking and teaching qualifications from Rome. her first award-winning cookery book in 1984; Perfect Pasta.
An award winning author of over 40 books on Italian food, Valentina is a well known celebrity chef and an experienced and enthusiastic teacher, sharing her food philosophy of seasonal local produce served with minimum fuss and maximum care.
As the proprietor of Cucina Valentina Ltd, Valentina She is currently writing a monthly food column for Platinum Magazine for women over 55 and she is the Ambassador for delicious Magazine. She has also hosted her own bespoke cookery courses in the UK and undertakes special private catering commissions as well as hosting panel discussions.
As one of the founders of the London Chapter of Les Dames D’Escoffier, Valentina reains committed to strengthening the position of professional women in the world of food, beverage and hospitality. As a result of her position as Chapter President, Valentina has access to hundreds of female culinary professionals in all fields, including cookery schools, retail, PR, media, productions etc. throughout the USA.
Her books cover food and wine, culinary customs and traditions from all the regions of Italy. Valentina’s Foodoir, her long awaited book of family memoirs and recipes: Fiori di Zucca,was published by Duncan Baird Publishers. This was followed by the publication of a revised edition of her famous book Risotto! Risotto! in 2017 with Absolute Press/Bloomsbury Publishing and was nominated for Best in the World in the International Gourmand Awards. Her latest book The Italian Regional Cookbook, published by Lorenz Books is the compilation of a previously published series of 5 books on regional Italian cookery. It is the culmination of 8 years research and work and provides an extensive introduction to the history and traditions of classic Italian cooking, the ingredients and how to prepare and use them.
You can find out more about Valentina on twitter @ChefValentina
