New Hampshire-based author and TV anchor Mary Ann Esposito has devoted her 30-year career to championing Italian regional cuisines. In this interview, the host of America’s longest-running television cooking program, Ciao Italia, recalls the beginnings of her love for Italian food, explains the charitable work carried out by her foundation and humbly plays down the distinguished achievements of being awarded an Italian knighthood and the Premio Artusi.
Helen Farrell: How did you get into TV initially?
Mary Ann Esposito: I grew up in a Neapolitan household where everyone spoke dialect. My mother and grandmother were in the food business, so I learned very quickly about real Italian food. I shied away from it.
