Born in Abruzzo, Italy, Francesca studied Italian History and Literature in Rome before embarking on her a culinary career. She started teaching Italian cuisine when she first moved to Singapore in 1994. Her passionate interest in history and in the traditions of Italian cuisine led her to collect books on these subjects. Her food library is continuously growing and it has well exceeded the 1,000 volumes mark. Author of 'Pasta In A Wok' (SNP, Singapore 2004), she is a culinary columnist (La Cucina Italiana and few other web magazines) and president of 'Erba Pepe', a non-profit organisation for the promotion of Abruzzo culture. She is member of Accademia Italiana della Cucina and of AICI (Teacher's Association of Italian cuisine). Currently based in Milan, Francesca frequently travels to teach and work as a consultant for the food industry. Her cooking school is in Milan but she regularly teaches in Abruzzo and London. She also organises tours for the gourmet travellers, which includes cooking classes and visits to producers and farm markets.