Natalie is second generation Italian with grandparents coming from Lazio, Abruzzo and Sicily. She spent the major part of her life living in California and working in the field of Information Technology. Now she lives in Portland and enjoys studying Italian, getting outdoors, and cooking. Natalie’s grandmother from Abruzzo would spend the summer with her family when she was a child, so Natalie learned to make the traditional recipes of Abruzzo. She enjoys making these dishes still today. Several years ago she worked on a project to renovate a family home in a small hill town in the northern Lazio region. Natalie keeps close connections with her Italian family in Lazio and Abruzzo and travels to Italy every summer.