Cicatielli Pasta

Michela was born and raised in Torino, the Piemonte region in the northwest of Italy, the city that carries the dichotomy of "blue collar" (FIAT) and the aristocracy (Savoia Principe of Piemonte). She has southern blood in her veins from the remote area of Irpinia, the inland of Naples, where her parents were raised.

Her passion with cooking is not academic; it is the observation and humble repetition of what her mother, Gina, and grandmothers, Rosa and Michela, taught. Coming from a farmers background, she made the natural decision of embracing the statement "we are what we eat." This is a life long philosophy.

Teaching cooking classes is a true passion, allowing her to share the tradition and sense of belonging to her motherland. She is involved in the Slow Food movement and she strongly embraces the philosophy of preserving the traditional and regional cuisine of her country. She has also worked as an Italian Country Editor for Allrecipes.com.

After the classical studies in Latin and ancient Greek at the renewed Ginnasio Vittorio Alfieri of Torino, Michela studied at Alma Mater Studiorum of Bologna where she pursued her Masters Degree in Philosophy in 2005.

In Seattle, Michela is an Italian language instructor at Bellevue College, Dante Alighieri Institute, South Seattle Community College, and Rosetta Stone.