Cooking With Vanessa

Her big—and perpetually hungry—Italian family was the perfect test group for this up-and-coming chef

- Vanessa Gianfrancesco

All my life, food has been a source of inspiration. My earliest memories are set behind countertops and tables, surrounded by ingredients whose names I couldn’t yet remember but whose flavours I was already able to recognize. I was taken under my grandmothers’ and mother’s wings in the hopes of carrying on their recipes and traditions, and more than 20 years later, I have accomplished just that. My best recollections are of spending summer vacations in my grandmother’s kitchen, preparing meals for our family of 14. From fresh pastas to hearty minestrones made from our homegrown garden vegetables, I would spend my days experimenting with new recipes while the rest of the kids would be outside playing. My big— and hungry—Italian family was always the perfect test group! This not only developed my sense of taste but it also awakened in me a deeply rooted passion for cooking and entertaining.