Chef Pat Trama grew up in an Italian American family steeped in traditions that focused on faith, family and food. While he was offered a full scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America, he gave it all up in order to work with the likes of powerhouse chefs Charlie Palmer, David Burke and Pino Luongo, before eventually going back to his roots and opening his own namesake trattoria—Trama’s Trattoria—featuring authentic Tuscan style food at the Jersey shore. Here’s his Chef Spotlight, in his own words.

My earliest food memory is watching my mother and my grandmother prepare Sunday supper. It would start at 9:00 Saturday morning with the first stop being the bakery to pick up the warm bread. Then onto the butcher to purchase salami, cold cuts and the meats for the Sunday sauce. Then onto the nursery for the flowers along with a quick stop at the grocery store for the staples. Once we arrived at home we would put away the daily gatherings and wander out into our garden to see what vegetables and fruits were ready to be picked.