“I’m passionate about the idea that food should not just nurture our body, but should connect us with the land where the ingredients are from. Food should respect and value the techniques of the farmers that are growing those ingredients and the food should also highlight the creativity and the skills of the cooks that are transforming these ingredients. In this little country, we have so many examples of everything that actually makes sense about food.”

This week on the show, I’m talking with Maria Carlassare. She’s the owner of Piccoli Dolci, which translates from Italian to “little sweets.” It’s a small business in Bloomington Indiana offering Italian cookies, pastries and now, savory lunches.