Merrimack Valley Life

Simmering (& swooning) with ‘Ciao Italia’

Tuscan Market hosts taping of beloved cooking show’s 30th season



The 30th season of America’s longest running cooking show, “Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito,” was recently taped in front of a live audience at Tuscan Market’s La Scuola Culinaria. This Fitchburg, Mass., family was in the live audience. Shown are (from left) Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale, his wife Joanne Perla-DiNatale, Mary Ann Esposito, Alex Cardinale, Michael Cardinale, Judy Perla and Tuscan Brands owner Joe Faro. Photos by Alison Colby-Campbell

The 30th season of America’s longest running cooking show, “Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito,” was recently taped in front of a live audience at Tuscan Market’s La Scuola Culinaria. This Fitchburg, Mass., family was in the live audience. Shown are (from left) Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale, his wife Joanne Perla-DiNatale, Mary Ann Esposito, Alex Cardinale, Michael Cardinale, Judy Perla and Tuscan Brands owner Joe Faro. Photos by Alison Colby-Campbell

More than 2,000 people signed up for a chance to be in the audience as Mary Ann Esposito, culinary icon and host of the PBS series “Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito,” taped the 30th season at La Scuola Culinaria at Tuscan Market. Producing two shows per day, the entire season was taped in less than a week.

Esposito’s charming but no-nonsense grandmotherly persona makes it easy to understand why “Ciao Italia” is America’s longest-running cooking show. In fact, it debuted in 1989 long before there was a Food Network. Multiple generations of cooks have learned her straight-forward techniques that meet her standards for sharing: Recipes must be doable (not overly complicated or predicated on obscure ingredients), authentic and taste good to her. For 30 years, she’s been focusing on recipes that promote authentic Italian food and stand the test of time without chasing after every passing food trend. She has written 13 cookbooks, worked alongside pioneering chefs like Julia Child and Jaques Pepin, received the Order of the Star of Italy Cavaliere award from the president of the Italian Republic, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Culinary & Cultural Arts of Italy.

Alex Cardinale, host of “Forks Over Fitchburg” on Fitchburg Access Television, was thrilled to meet Esposito and have her cookbook signed.

Alex Cardinale, host of “Forks Over Fitchburg” on Fitchburg Access Television, was thrilled to meet Esposito and have her cookbook signed.

“I remember what we prepared for the pilot 30 years ago. It was a muffuletta,” recalled Esposito. It is a recipe she brought back to her blog in 2010 as the perfect choice for a Super Bowl gathering. She noted in the blog that it is hefty sandwich layered with Italian cured meats, cheeses with a salad layer of olives, artichokes and red peppers pressed into a hollowed-out round loaf of bread. It is also called a Calabrian Pitta after the region in Italy where it was created.

Fewer than half the applicants could be accommodated as part of the Salem television audience. Those lucky enough to be selected feasted on samples of homemade Italian love. Food is love for many Italians and perhaps the biggest insult would be a guest leaving your home without having had enough to eat. Meals are meant to be memorable, filling and to bring people together. So bring on le abbondanza.

Joe Faro of Tuscan Brands was pleased with the results as his Tagliatelle alla Bolognese sauce simmered to perfection.

Joe Faro of Tuscan Brands was pleased with the results as his Tagliatelle alla Bolognese sauce simmered to perfection.

Salem Life made the cut for a special episode featuring Tuscan Brands owner Joe Faro. Esposito is generous to her guest chefs. She took on the supportive role and allowed Faro to take a lead in the unscripted show even when she felt it might be risky, for example to put the dough through the pasta machine one more time.

Faro called upon his Italian heritage and the teachings of his mother, and especially his grandmother and grandfather, to create an epic Tagliatelle alla Bolognese, a tomato-based sauce incorporating three meats: beef, pork and veal. This dish had the richness of a hundred years of tradition and the complex flavors of dozens of ingredients, yet the ingredient list was fairly short and simple. Using the highest quality ingredients is a necessity. Faro is a stickler for quality, he said, and he imports and sells authentic products in his Tuscan Market for serious home cooks. Shoppers can find the best tomatoes from Italy (San Marzano), house-curated meats, special flour for pasta making (Doppio Zero), and even his own wines and olive oils that are imported from Italy.

The small television audience held onto every word the two chefs shared.

The small television audience held onto every word the two chefs shared.

“I cook because I love to see people enjoy eating what I make,” explained Faro.

Italians are particularly serious about their tomato’s terroir. According to Faro, “San Marzano tomatoes can only be grown in the soil area around Mount Vesuvius. Something about the volcanic ash enhances their flavor and sweetness. There’s less acid, too. “

There were lots of snippets of Italian conversation, genial back and forth chats with the audience, tips for using and finding the best ingredients, and an aroma so enticing it would make it acceptible to want the dish for breakfast and all the meals after that. The audience was made up of about a dozen star-struck fans, some who traveled a fair distance to participate. Several purchased Esposito’s latest book, “Ciao Italia (My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy)” and thumbed through over 150 recipes and stories about Italy as they waited for an audience with both Esposito and Faro.

Esposito watched as Faro passed the pasta through a top-of-the-line pasta maker.

Esposito watched as Faro passed the pasta through a top-of-the-line pasta maker.

As the filming ended, Alex Cardinale, co-host of the Fitchburg Access Television show “Forks Over Fitchburg,” rushed over to Esposito with a giddiness typically reserved for rock stars. She pulled her well-used “Ciao Italia” cookbook from her satchel and requested an autograph. Esposito graciously obliged, and engaged in conversation a bit before handing it back. Cardinale paused and beamed. That is the power of sharing a good meal, even if it’s usually shared exclusively through the television set.

This episode of “Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito” will air on PBS in late spring 2022. More information can be found at ciaoitalia.com.

Joe Faro, founder of Tuscan Brands, shared his family recipe for Tagliatelle alla Bolognese.

Joe Faro, founder of Tuscan Brands, shared his family recipe for Tagliatelle alla Bolognese.

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