about me

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When it comes to food, I'm all about comfort, home-cooking, and harnessing traditions. And that's exactly what you'll find on my blog. I'm an aspiring nonna looking to uncover family secrets and traditions from around the world. 

Living in Melbourne's northern suburbs, you'll often find me wandering local farmers' markets foraging for seasonal produce; and dining in my favourite spots, eating my way through inspiration - or simply just enjoying a meal! As a self-taught cook I love getting in the kitchen, I'll try absolutely anything and I get overexcited about the family table, to gather around and eat! 

Growing up as an Italian-Australian in Sydney’s western suburbs, food has been at the centre of our family. My nonno (grandfather) has always harvested the food on our plates – from freshly laid eggs to roaming chickens and luscious tomatoes bursting with flavour among the season's best offerings. The garage and backyard has been the heart of our home. It's where we come together to celebrate, to feast, to fill jars and cure meats, preserving the food in abundance to savour the flavours all year round. From sundried tomatoes to giardiniera (pickled seasonable vegetables), passata, olives, salami and sausages - just to name a few of my favourites. 

On any given day, nonna (grandmother) is in the kitchen from early-morning preparing lunch, the main meal of the day, which is generally served around 11:00am. Whether it’s baking bread in the woodfire oven, rolling fresh pasta sheets or the aromas of garlic and chilli frying for the base of almost any meal, it’s always followed by coffee and handmade biscotti to finish. No matter what nonna's cooking, one thing’s certain, you're always in for a treat. 

From my childhood to my world travels and exploring the heritage of friends, I can’t help but be drawn into the simplicity and respect for food across cultures. And while there’s a world of differences, I’ve come to learn that patience is essential, love is the key ingredient and sharing a meal with others is both comforting and fulfilling. 

It's often nonna, and those alike who keep these traditions alive, cook like no other, insist we eat more even when we're full and fill our plates with unconditional love. And when we visit, they will always ask us to stay for lunch. 

So with that, Stay for Lunch is born. My aim is to share with you the flavours and memories I have discovered, the food I love to cook and eat, the traditions I have grown up with and explored and the stories of those behind them. 

I’m excited to have you here and I hope you can join me and stay for lunch.

Mat.