Hi I am Flavia Giordano, Italian cookbook author, eclectic food educator and certified taster.

I was born and raised in Bari (Puglia), where I built my career as a gastronomy author for magazines and publishers since 2005, coordinating editorial projects to promote Italian food culture and diversity.

After living in France and the United States, I moved to Sweden for 8 years, running the first Italian cooking school in Malmö. Now I am back to my region Puglia, in the picturesque town of Polignano a Mare, right by the sea.

Here I celebrate Italian food through cooking classes, food tours and sensory events for international guests.

At the heart of my mission is to guide you through the biodiversity of Italian cuisine. It’s not just about cooking; it’s a sensory experience that goes beyond the recipe. My goal is to provide you with a key to unlock the culinary roots of Italy and my home, Puglia. Together, let’s knead, taste, and discover the unique flavors that make Italian food an art and a passion.

I studied in Bari to become an archeologist. After my graduation, I understood that my vocation was to storytell Italy, its rich food and wine heritage, the artisan knowledge, its authentic flavors. So, I took an MBA in tourism management and, later, got also a certificate as tour leader.

I strongly believe that eating (and cooking) is an agricultural act and that’s why I put all my passion into working for Coldiretti (one of the main Italian farmers’ organizations), contributing to create the first Southern Italian network of educational farms. During this time I published my first two books, being a pioneer of the farm-to-table movement.

5 more cook books followed in the next few years, printed with two of the main Italian publishers (see below).

The more I wrote, the more the need to have an in-depth knowledge of the ingredients that are the pillars of Italian cuisine emerged in me: that is why I attended a university master’s degree in “The extra-virgin olive oil sensory science and the culinary art”, becoming an expert on extra-virgin olive oil.

A few years later, I continued my studies with ONAF (the Italian cheese Association), becoming a cheese taster too. And now my sensory path continues with wine, since I am studying to become a sommelier with AIS (Associazione Italiana Sommelier).

Thanks to this eclectic background, in more than 18 years working in the gastronomy field, tourism and communication, I have been cooperating with several companies and institutions, in Italy, the Nordic countries and the world, as: Pandora, Samsung, Eataly, Radisson Hotel, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, BBC Good Food, San Pellegrino, Actionaid, Palais de la Porte Dorée de Paris, Rema 1000, Lund University, Feltrinelli, Giunti Editore and many others.

In 2017 I moved to Sweden and founded Spaghetti ABC – the first Italian cooking school in Malmö, where I had the opportunity to share my passion and knowledge for food with the Scandinavian public. As I like to say: if anyone in Sweden knows how to make orecchiette, it’s because I probably taught them!

The clients of my hands-on cooking classes were a source of constant inspiration as a teacher, with their questions about cooking techniques, iconic Italian recipes and quality products.

During my classes I put myself in their shoes, imagining the challenge in preparing dishes of Italian cuisine toward which, some of them, they had a reverential fear. And in this, my training as a taster helped me a great deal, because my cooking classes are first and foremost an invitation to use the senses: to touch a dough to see if it has the right consistency, to observe the color of the pasta to know if it is cooked, to smell the extra virgin olive oil and understand if it is still good or instead rancid, and, always and always, to taste. Because recipes may be more or less accurate, but the senses, your senses, are rarely wrong if you know how to use them.

• “Frutta e verdura, tutti i colori della salute” (Food and colours for the well being”, Demetra-Giunti Editore 2019 
• “Veg per incominciare. La scelta vegetariana alla portata di tutti” (Veg for beginners). Demetra-Giunti Editore 2018
• “La cucina differente. 80 ricette per gli intolleranti, gli esigenti e i curiosi golosi” (The different kitchen). Gribaudo-Feltrinelli 2016
• “La Puglia che mangia differente. Ricettario di cucina inclusiva” (Puglia eats different). Unioncamere 2014
• “Eat different. Ricette creative per chi mangia diversamente” (Creative recipes for different eaters). Gribaudo-Feltrinelli 2014
• “A lezione con Ciccio Pagliuzza” (At school with Ciccio Pagliuzza). Ed. Coldiretti 2006
• “Guida alle fattorie didattiche” (Educational farms guide). Ed. Coldiretti 2006
• collaboration) “Pasta på Italienska”, S. Berg and M. Preis. Nature & Kulture 2021
• (collaboration) “Medelhavsmat i solen”, S. Töringe. Bokförlaget Semic 2020

In our culinary adventures, it’s not just about cooking – it’s about immersing yourself in the true essence of Italy. What makes my services unique is the fusion of hands-on experiences with the rich stories behind each ingredient. Whether you’re kneading dough in Polignano or exploring the aromatic wonders of Apulian markets, you’re not just learning recipes; you’re delving into the cultural tapestry that defines authentic Italian cuisine.

It will be a pleasure to work with you:
– dive into the aromas of the Italian ingredients during my sensory food tours in Polignano
– kneading the dough and cooking authentic Italian recipes during my private cooking classes
– conducting team-building activities for your company, designing tailored food experiences
– curating culinary trips to explore Puglia, the farmers, the producers, the artisan, the restaurateur and the millenary cultural heritage.

All my services are provided in Italian, English, French. The cooking classes are also available in Swedish.

Ready to embark on a journey where every meal is an experience? Whether it’s a private cooking class or a sensory food tour,  WRITE ME HERE and let’s make your encounter with Italian cuisine unforgettable.

Ci vediamo!

Flavia Giordano – Spaghetti ABC