Hiring a Personal Chef Doesn't Have to Be a Fantasy

When I was a young boy growing up in an Italian family in New Jersey, food and cooking were an important part of life.

I spent countless hours in the kitchen watching my mother and grandmother prepare family recipes, which filled our home with the scent of old-world goodness.

As a teenager, I learned to prepare these wonderful traditional dishes so that I could share them with others. I then went on to study architecture in college, and learned design skills and how to make a perfect presentation.

I now blend my passions as a professional chef through my firm, Roberto’s Creative Cuisines, which provides in-home meal preparation and cooking classes, as well as caters dinner parties and corporate events.

As one of the chefs at Culinaria Cooking School, I am very excited to help our students learn the fine art of Italian cooking.

Here are the classes that I’ll be teaching in February:

• Feb. 07: Easy Italian Chicken Dishes
• Feb. 11: Southern Italian Pasta Sauces
• Feb. 16: Potato Gnocchi
• Feb. 19: Northern Italian Dinner
• Feb. 21: The Art of Ravioli Making
• Feb. 28: Southern Italian Wine Dinner

On the following pages, you’ll find some of my favorite recipes to whip up on a cold winter weekend:

Page 2: Baked Asparagus with Prosciutto
Page 3: Porcini Mushroom Risotto With Fresh Peas
Page 4: Almond Apricot Biscotti

I look forward to seeing you at Culinaria Cooking School. — Chef Roberto Forgione

Next: Baked Asparagus With Prosciutto