[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/12808559/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87a93a/” width=”100%” height=”90″ scrolling=”no” class=”podcast-class” frameborder=”0″ placement=”top” use_download_link=”” download_link_text=”Download Episode!” primary_content_url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/italianamericanpodcast/IAP_126_Ciao_Italia_A_Conversation_with_the_First_Couple_of_Italian_American_Cooking-_Mary_Ann__Gaetano_Esposito.mp3″ theme=”custom” custom_color=”87a93a” libsyn_item_id=”12808559″ /]

For 30 years Mary Ann Esposito has been a part of our lives on “Ciao Italia”, American television’s longest running cooking show on PBS. Undeniably, this is the First Lady of the Italian American kitchen. Yet while we all know and love this consummate educator, the Italian American Podcast is bringing you a chance to see the lady behind the lens… and to get to know the man who has been her loving partner for 53 years during this intimate and impassioned interview.

They’ll share how a boring cooking class on their first trip to Italy kicked off three decades of television success, Mary Ann’s calling as an educator, why she never thought she’d be a chef, and their shared mission to preserve not just foods and flavors, but the bond of family a meal can create.

We’ll explore how to grow 100 varietals of lettuce, why French cuisine is science but Italian food is jazz, Mary Ann’s relationship with Julia Child, what makes the perfect Sunday Sauce, and why on earth the Italian city of Bari is evicting its pasta making Nonnas!

Share in a joyous afternoon spent with one of the most beloved icons of the Italian American experience in an episode you’ll listen to over and over again!

Ciao Italia

Grazie mille!
The Italian American Podcast Team