Hello! My name is Mia Villar Raurich. I lived in Italy, in Rome, for a few years, and that is where I fell in love with its cuisine, which was completely different from the Italian food I had tasted before in my country, which had made me detest it. I started the blog there as a hobby, to show my friends how people really ate there and how to prepare it. Upon returning to Barcelona, I enrolled and graduated from an intensive chef training course at the Hofmann Hospitality School to improve my overall culinary skills.
I worked briefly at the Piccola Cucina Italiana restaurant in Sant Cugat, where the great Vittorio Giordano taught me much more about cooking in a short time than any school could. However, it eventually became incompatible with the job I actually make a living from, and I had to leave. Nevertheless, I always find a way to keep this passion alive: currently, I am the chef in charge of leading the in-person workshops “Sabors d’Itàlia al Mercat” at the Mercat Central de Sabadell. It is an official project in my city that fills me with joy, as it allows me to spread authentic Italian culinary culture using fresh market products, bringing me closer to my dream of dedicating myself to this full-time.
I return to Rome very often since my husband is from there, and when we go on vacation, 90% of our destinations are other parts of Italy that we adore, or new places that we always end up falling in love with, with one main priority: getting to know the traditional cuisine of that region to keep learning about the wonders of Italian gastronomy.
On this blog, you will find plenty of traditional Italian recipes, with instructions on how to prepare them exactly as they do over there—the ones that certain restaurants mistreat out of ignorance or the need to adapt them to a public that has grown accustomed to and prefers overcooked pasta, carbonara with heavy cream, etc. You will also find some fusion recipes born from the desire to bridge cultures, using the best of both worlds. Finally, I share some restaurant recommendations in Italy that we loved, which are very useful for anyone traveling who wants advice from someone with objective knowledge on the subject.
The name of the blog comes from the fact that I am a huge fan of the movie La Ragazza con la Pistola (The Girl with the Pistol), and of its leading actress and director in general: Monica Vitti and Mario Monicelli.
She, like me, went abroad and had to adapt to the customs of other people. She had a pistol to avenge her honor; I have a rolling pin to roll out pasta.
