Table of Contents
- Introduction
- From Banking to Baby Products to Italian Cuisine
- Food Is Culture
- The Evolution of Italian Cuisine
- Authenticity and Seasonal Eating
- Italian vs. Italian-American Cuisine
- A Lifelong Learning Journey
- Conclusion
Introduction
In the heart of the Italian countryside, just north of Rome with a view of St. Peter's Dome, resides Wendy Holloway - an American expatriate who has become one of the most passionate advocates for authentic Italian cuisine. As the founder of Flavor of Italy, host of a successful food podcast with nearly 250 episodes, and author of an upcoming cookbook, Wendy's journey from international banker to culinary expert offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of Italian food culture through an expatriate's perspective.
In this exclusive interview, Wendy shares her insights on the deep connection between Italian food and cultural heritage, the misconceptions about Italian cuisine abroad, and how food traditions continue to evolve while staying true to their roots.
From Banking to Baby Products to Italian Cuisine
Wendy's path to becoming a culinary expert was anything but conventional. "I was an international banker," she explains. "I moved here for that. I opened an office for an American bank here in Rome."
It was during her business travels that she met her husband, settled in Italy, and began a family. But the modern conveniences she was accustomed to in America were hard to come by in Italy at the time. "When our daughter was born, there were lots of modern things... you'd be surprised the things you could not find," Wendy recalls. This gap in the market inspired her first entrepreneurial venture - Peter Pan International, a company that designed and imported modern baby products to Italy.
However, food had always been Wendy's true passion. "I've always loved food. Always loved food. I mean, I started cooking, like, baking when I was 7 or 8 by myself because my mother wasn't interested," she shares. This lifelong love of food eventually led her to start taking tourists to visit Italian food production facilities, which naturally evolved into cooking classes and culinary tours.
Food Is Culture
When asked about the relationship between food and Italian cultural heritage, Wendy's response is immediate and profound: "Food is culture, really. It's not that it's linked to it. I mean, it really is."
She illustrates this point with the example of "sarde in saor," a traditional Venetian dish of sardines in a sweet and sour sauce. "That's a very cultural thing... it's a hundreds of years old recipe from before refrigeration. Fishermen would get these sardines and they made the sweetened sour sauce as a way to preserve the fish," Wendy explains. "That's like culture and geography and history and food all tied in together."
The Evolution of Italian Cuisine
Despite being deeply rooted in tradition, Italian cuisine is constantly evolving. "Food like language like anything really is constantly evolving and it's part of culture," Wendy notes.
She points to climate change as one modern factor influencing Italian cuisine, explaining how invasive blue crabs have become a problem in Italian waters: "Because of climate change and bigger ships coming over to Italy than did before, crabs from the Atlantic attached to ships come over to Italy... they're really a menace in the Italian waters." Yet, in typical Italian fashion, the solution has been to incorporate them into the cuisine - "The Italian solution a lot of times is, well, we'll eat them!"
Authenticity and Seasonal Eating
One of the most important aspects of authentic Italian cuisine, according to Wendy, is respecting seasonality. She laments how some restaurants, particularly those catering to tourists, compromise this principle: "Tourists ask all the time, like, 'I want an artichoke,' and they might ask in June and July and August when they are not in season."
She believes the right response should be to explain that the item isn't in season and to suggest seasonal alternatives instead. However, "a lot of restaurants say, all these Americans want artichokes. I'll import them... That gives a false sense of the way Italian cuisine works in Italy."
Wendy passionately advocates for seasonal eating: "If you live by the seasons, each time something comes into season, like an artichoke in the winter or strawberries now... we really take joy in this food we've missed over the winter." This approach stands in contrast to what she describes as "the Anglo Saxon or the American concept of, you know, I want a strawberry now, I'll get it from wherever I have to import it."
Italian vs. Italian-American Cuisine
On the topic of Italian food's representation in America, Wendy offers a nuanced perspective: "Americans think that Italian-American recipes are Italian. But that's not necessarily true."
She cites examples like fettuccine Alfredo, which in Italy is simply a variation of "burro e parmigiano" (butter and parmesan), and large stuffed pasta shells common in America but rarely found in Italy.
However, Wendy doesn't dismiss these evolutions. Rather, she sees them as part of a natural cultural adaptation: "It comes originally conceptually from Italian food, but it's taking it in a place that no longer is what we do culturally, food-wise, in Italy."
A Lifelong Learning Journey
At the heart of Wendy's philosophy is a commitment to continuous learning and growth. Whether mastering new recipes like "sarde in saor" with different fish varieties or embracing new technologies, she emphasizes the importance of staying curious.
She shares an anecdote about a 90-year-old friend who is part of her cookbook test kitchen and has remained open to learning new technologies like using an iPhone. "When you say 'I'm too old for that and I don't want to learn,' you really start to make yourself old," Wendy observes. "You could do that even when you're 31... cut yourself off from continual growth."
Conclusion
Wendy Holloway's journey from international banker to Italian food expert embodies the very essence of cultural immersion and adaptation. Through her podcast, upcoming cookbook, and culinary ventures, she continues to bridge the gap between traditional Italian cuisine and the evolving global understanding of it.
When asked what dish she would be if she were one, Wendy's answer captures her passionate approach to both food and life: "I sort of feel like it is the thing that I am enjoying in the moment." Though she admits a special fondness for pasta carbonara and simple dishes like "pesce bollito" (boiled fish) with homemade mayonnaise, her true love is for the rich diversity of Italian cuisine itself.
As Italy's food traditions continue to evolve in response to globalization, climate change, and cultural exchange, voices like Wendy's remind us of the importance of honoring the authentic roots of these traditions while embracing thoughtful innovation.
source https://www.realitalianrestaurants.com/blog/a-taste-of-authentic-italy-interview-with-wendy-holloway-of-flavor-of-italy
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