Carmela Serano Hayes

Food writer and tutor, La Cucina Caldesi

Carmela is of Southern Italian descent, born in Bedford.

She currently lives happily in a small Northamptonshire village with her four children and husband. She loves to share her love of Italian food and is an Italian cookery author of 5 books, specialising in the art of pasta. Carmela makes wonderfully coloured and patterned pasta – techniques she developed years before it was popular. “She is a trend leader in her sphere and it is an inspiration to spend the morning learning from her” says Katie Caldesi.

Southern Italian Family Cooking, A Passion for Pasta, Northern & Central Italian Family Cooking, How to make Pasta and Pasta Fresca.
Carmela works as a food writer, cookery tutor, demonstrator, cook, recipe developer, specialist pastaia and runs successful supper clubs and events sponsored by Filippo Berio Olive Oil company at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.

Carmela is a proud ambassador for both the Filippo Berio Olive Oil brand and the pasta tool company Marcato. Carmela is currently holding demonstrations in Harrods. Check out her website for a full list of events, classes and much more!

Carmela is now working on her sixth book entitled ‘The Italian Vegetarian’.

• Favourite Italian recipe:
  Lasagna layered with boiled eggs, meat sugo, mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano. NO bechamel sauce.
• Favourite place:
  Anywhere in Italy really, however I do adore’ Polignano a Mare’ in Puglia.
• Name three fantasy dinner guests:
  It’s incredibly difficult to choose only three but I would probably go with an eclectic mix of Pellegrino Artusi, the famous Italian food writer, Elvis Presley because he will always be the king of rock and roll and Sophia Loren because she will forever be an Italian icon.