On May 6th, the Coccia Institute was thrilled to continue our partnership with the Montclair Literary Festival, in presenting a special cookbook panel and pre-Mother’s Day event, entitled “Una Dolce Vita: An Italian Lifestyle & Cookbook Panel with Sophie and Elizabeth Minchilli.” Coccia Institute Director, Mark Rotella, moderated a lively discussion with mother-daughter duo Sophie Minchilli, author of The Sweetness of Doing Nothing, and Elizabeth Minchilli, author of The Italian Table. Sophie and Elizabeth shared interesting insights regarding their careers, tips when visiting Italy, and even their favorite recipes/Italian dishes.
Sophie Minchilli is an American-Italian living in Rome. Her passion is anything to do with Italy, especially food and good company. She started working alongside her mother on the blog, Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome, as well as a food tour business, giving people a chance to explore the city through the eyes of a local. Sophie has always loved people and their stories. She has dedicated her Instagram page to showcasing the portraits and stories of local people and the way they live their lives. The Sweetness of Doing Nothing is her first book.
Elizabeth Minchilli has written about food, style, and culture from her home in Italy for the past 25 years. Her website, Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome (elizabethminchilli.com), won a Saveur Blog Award for Best Culinary Coverage, an Italy Magazine Best Food Blog Award, and was named The Culture Trip Local Favorite. Elizabeth is the author of nine books, including Eating My Way Through Italy, and the founder of the Eat Italy app. Her books, blogs, apps, and food tours have been praised by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Travel & Leisure, NPR, The Huffington Post, Condé Nast Traveler, and more.
Any proceeds from the festival benefit parent organization, Montclair-based non-profit Succeed2gether, which offers after-school one-on-one tutoring and enrichment classes with the aim of closing the education and opportunity gaps in Essex County, NJ.