{"id":16618,"date":"2023-04-09T14:06:34","date_gmt":"2023-04-09T13:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/?p=16618"},"modified":"2024-10-21T09:52:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T08:52:00","slug":"meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto","title":{"rendered":"Meet our Italian Chefs: Denyse and Roberto"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Let&#8217;s get up close and personal with our Italian chefs! Today, we\u2019re joined by Denyse and Roberto, who lead our team of amazing chefs in Italy, as they share their story, cooking tips, and favorite dishes in Italy and abroad.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto\/#Tell_us_a_bit_about_yourselves\" >Tell us a bit about yourselves<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto\/#What_made_you_decide_to_become_a_chef\" >What made you decide to become a chef?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto\/#What_is_your_favorite_Italian_dish_to_make_at_home\" >What is your favorite Italian dish to make at home?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto\/#Do_you_have_any_Italian_cooking_tips_for_our_readers\" >Do you have any Italian cooking tips for our readers?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto\/#What_food_or_dishes_travelers_to_Rome_or_your_home_city_must_try_and_if_you_have_recommendations_on_where_to_try_them\" >What food or dishes travelers to Rome (or your home city) must try and if you have recommendations on where to try them.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto\/#Outside_of_Rome_what_is_your_favorite_place_in_the_world_to_visit\" >Outside of Rome, what is your favorite place in the world to visit?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto\/#In_which_city_have_you_tried_the_best_food_and_what_was_it_Where_did_you_try_it_and_would_you_recommend_it\" >In which city have you tried the best food and what was it. Where did you try it and would you recommend it?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto\/#Where_would_you_travel_to_next\" >Where would you travel to next?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/meet-our-italian-chefs-denyse-and-roberto\/#Which_city_of_place_in_the_world_do_you_think_is_the_most_underrated_and_would_urge_people_to_visit\" >Which city of place in the world do you think is the most underrated and would urge people to visit?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tell_us_a_bit_about_yourselves\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-16619\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/unnamed.jpg\" alt=\"Chefs: Denyse and Rob\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" \/><br \/>\n<strong>Tell us a bit about yourselves<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We are a couple based in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/rome-travel-tips\">Rome<\/a>. Roberto is Sicilian from Modica and he grew up with the smell of the meatballs simmering in the tomato sauce on Sunday morning and Denyse was born in Treviso the hometown of Tiramis\u00f9.<\/p>\n<p>We realized we were meant to be together when we ordered dinner on our first date.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16620\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_4564.jpg\" alt=\"Den and Rob\" \/>\n<p>We think that food can be more than survival&#8230;with it, you can make new friends, overcome prejudices and find out how creative human beings can be. We are starving travelers and we are always seeking out new recipes around the world.<\/p>\n<p>But we are Italians after all, our passion and pride spill into pasta&#8230;there are more than 300 pasta shapes and we haven&#8217;t tasted them all yet!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_made_you_decide_to_become_a_chef\"><\/span><strong>What made you decide to become a chef?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We are both born in families where you spend Sunday morning in the kitchen kneading, chopping, fighting (a bit of Italian drama), and cooking.<\/p>\n<p>Before deciding that cooking would be our profession we had different experiences.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16621\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/2017_05_Roma_0799.jpg\" alt=\"Cooking class in Rome: Roof top terrace \" \/>\n<p>In the last 6 years, we have taught <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/rome-tours\/cooking-classes-in-rome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">how to make pasta on a beautiful rooftop<\/a> in the center of Rome, there is nothing more exciting than seeing people from other cultures appreciate the simplicity of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/online-tours\/pasta-cooking-online-class\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pasta<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Rob is a natural baker talent and Den is a foodie nerd&#8230;she knows a lot of food fun facts.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_your_favorite_Italian_dish_to_make_at_home\"><\/span><strong>What is your favorite Italian dish to make at home<\/strong>?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Rob: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/food-and-wine\/italian-pizza-dough-recipe\">Pizza<\/a>, bread, and gnocchi<br \/>\nDen: risotto with squid ink<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_you_have_any_Italian_cooking_tips_for_our_readers\"><\/span><strong>Do you have any Italian cooking tips for our readers? <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The key to Italian cuisine is&#8230;less is more! We see tons of Italian recipes with an endless list of ingredients, if you have tasty tomatoes you don&#8217;t need much more! Invest money in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/food-and-wine\/seasonal-eating-in-italy\">fresh and seasonal<\/a> ingredients from small producers that work consciously.<\/p>\n<p>The secret behind an Italian recipe is&#8230;love, it goes way beyond just simple nourishment.<br \/>\nRemember that pasta is the queen, don&#8217;t pair it with a side dish (like salad) and try to find the perfect pasta shape for your sauce (you have more than 300 options!).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_food_or_dishes_travelers_to_Rome_or_your_home_city_must_try_and_if_you_have_recommendations_on_where_to_try_them\"><\/span><strong>What food or dishes travelers to Rome (or your home city) must try and if you have recommendations on where to try them. <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When in Rome&#8230;you must try the suppl\u00ec a deep-fried rice ball, known as the suppl\u00ec, is Rome&#8217;s quintessential street food. Popular as a starter before pizza or as a satisfying street food snack!<\/p>\n<p>Our favorite spot to get Suppl\u00ec is SUPPL\u00ec ROMA, via San Francesco a Ripa n.137<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21904\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21904\" class=\"wp-image-21904 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Devour_Rome_Trastevere_0821.jpg\" alt=\"A woman taking a bite out of a fried rice ball in Rome, Italy.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Devour_Rome_Trastevere_0821.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Devour_Rome_Trastevere_0821-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21904\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">You&#8217;ll love <em>suppl\u00ec<\/em> at first bite.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Outside_of_Rome_what_is_your_favorite_place_in_the_world_to_visit\"><\/span><strong>Outside of Rome, what is your favorite place in the world to visit?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We are both in love with Asia, we have visited many countries and the main reason is the food and the people. In Europe, we love to travel to Spain and Greece.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16623\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_5755small.jpg\" alt=\"Den and Rob in Asia\" \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_which_city_have_you_tried_the_best_food_and_what_was_it_Where_did_you_try_it_and_would_you_recommend_it\"><\/span><strong>In which city have you tried the best food and what was it. Where did you try it and would you recommend it?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As a couple, we had the best food on our trip to Vietnam so diverse and exciting!<\/p>\n<p>We had the best dish at Hoi An food market sitting on little plastic stools: stuffed crispy omelette\/pancake (Banh Xeo).<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16624 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_4929.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"800\" \/><br \/>\nRob: sushi at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo<br \/>\nDen: Apricots and chicken tagine in Morocco<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_would_you_travel_to_next\"><\/span><strong>Where would you travel to next?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Rob would like to visit Argentina (huge meat lover), Den would go to Okinawa (love islands). Hope to be able to travel again, in the meanwhile, we are enjoying the beauties of our country!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_city_of_place_in_the_world_do_you_think_is_the_most_underrated_and_would_urge_people_to_visit\"><\/span><strong>Which city of place in the world do you think is the most underrated and would urge people to visit?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We think that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/things-to-do-in-palermo-sicily-the-walks-of-italy-insiders-guide\">Sicily<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/cagliari-sardinia-things-to-do\">Sardinia<\/a> are often skipped but if you are looking for the authentic Italian lifestyle, unspoiled nature, history, and the best food&#8230;these 2 islands are the best destinations.<\/p>\n<p><em>Update notice: This article was updated on April 9, 2023.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let&#8217;s get up close and personal with our Italian chefs! Today, we\u2019re joined by Denyse and Roberto, who lead our team of amazing chefs in Italy, as they share their story, cooking tips, and favorite dishes in Italy and abroad. Tell us a bit about yourselves We are a couple based in Rome. Roberto is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":16619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[62,65],"ppma_author":[195],"class_list":["post-16618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-food","tag-act-like-a-local"],"authors":[{"term_id":195,"user_id":87,"is_guest":0,"slug":"matteom","display_name":"Matteo M.","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Matteo-Marino.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Matteo-Marino.png"},"user_url":"","last_name":"M.","first_name":"Matteo","job_title":"","description":"When Matteo, a native of Milan, isn't savoring the rich flavors of homemade pasta or engaging in lively debates about Italian politics, you can find him exploring the hidden gems of Italian cities, unearthing the stories behind ancient ruins, and getting lost in the vibrant maze of local markets in whatever city he finds himself in. Matteo considers himself to be the go-to source for tips, tidbits and recommendations for all things Italy. When he's not working, you can find him enjoying a pisolino or a gelato."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16618"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16618"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21931,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16618\/revisions\/21931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16618"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=16618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}