Mary Ann Esposito (born August 3, 1942) is an American

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

, cookbook writer (having published over a dozen

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (food), course (appetize ...

s), and the television host of ''Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito'', which started in 1989 and is the longest-running television cooking program in America.

Personal life

Esposito was raised in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. Her mother was a

dietitian A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of ...

. Her grandmothers, both professional chefs, moved to the United States from Italy in the 1890s. Her paternal grandmother, from

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, owned a

butcher shop A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishme ...

Fairport, New York Fairport is a village (New York), village in the town (New York), town of Perinton, New York, Perinton, part of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, New York (state), New York, United States. Fairport is a suburb of Rochester, New York, Roche ...

, and her maternal grandmother lived in Buffalo, where she owned a

boarding house A boarding house is a house (frequently a family home) in which lodging, lodgers renting, rent one or more rooms on a nightly basis and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months, or years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and ...

. The latter grandmother was from

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, and continued the traditions of her Italian household within the boarding house. The boarding house was the only house in the neighborhood that had a

bathtub A bathtub, also known simply as a bath or tub, is a container for holding water in which a person or another animal may Bathing, bathe. Most modern bathtubs are made of thermoformed Acrylic resin, acrylic, porcelain enamel, porcelain-enameled s ...

, and on Friday nights she would offer neighbors a bath and dinner for a quarter. While her grandmothers provided traditional Italian food, Esposito desired to eat standard foods like other children:

Wonder Bread Wonder Bread is an American brand of sliced bread. Established in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1921, it was one of the first companies to sell sliced bread nationwide by 1930. The brand is currently owned by Flowers Foods in the United States. His ...

and

iceberg lettuce Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae mostly grown as a leaf vegetable. The leaves are most often used raw in green salads, although lettuce is also seen in other kinds of food, such as sandwiches, wraps an ...

. Esposito, who never intended to pursue a career in cooking, learned to cook from her family. Her grandmothers made bread every day, with Esposito helping to make upwards of 20 loaves of bread a day,

canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although under ...

vegetables and fruits, and helping to prepare ingredients for meals. Eventually, Esposito attended college, where she would graduate with a teaching degree and become an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

teacher. In 1979, her mother sent her a

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

maker, and despite a lack of interest in cooking as an adult, Esposito taught herself how to make pasta

dough Dough is a malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from flour (which itself is made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops). Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes ...

. The following year, she and her husband Guy visited Italy for the first time, visiting his cousins. While in Italy, Esposito started attending a cooking class. She began learning the history of Italian cooking, region by region, and traveling to the country twice a year for cooking lessons. At the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

she took classes to learn how to speak

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

. By 1985, she had joined the history master's program at the university, writing her

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

about

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

cooking.

Career

Esposito started teaching cooking through the

's Division of

Continuing Education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

. In the mid-1980s, she submitted a proposal for a cooking show to

New Hampshire Public Television New Hampshire PBS (NHPBS), known as New Hampshire Public Television (NHPTV) prior to October 1, 2017, is a PBS member network serving the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is operated by New Hampshire Public Broadcasting (NHPB), a community-based ...

. The show was delayed production because of the small size of the television station; however, upon moving to a larger station, a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

was taped. The pilot was a test to not only gauge viewer reception, but, to also see how Esposito would be on camera. On the hottest day of the year in the region, the television crew came to Esposito's home in

Durham, New Hampshire Durham is a New England town, town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 15,490 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,638 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 ...

, and the pilot was taped. Upon airing, the pilot received great reception and the longest-running television cooking show was born. Esposito has published over a dozen cooking books about Italian cooking and entertaining. Her 1997 book, ''What You Knead'', about

breadmaking Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

, was awarded best in category by the

International Cookbook Revue International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

and was named one of ''

Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and sea ...

'' magazine's top cookbooks of 1997. She makes over forty public appearances a year nationally and has appeared on the ''

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

'', ''

Regis and Kathie Lee ''Live with Kelly and Mark'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...

'',

QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network and a flagship shopping channel specializing in televised Shopping channel, home shopping, owned by QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group). Founded in 19 ...

, the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

Martha Stewart Living Radio Martha Stewart Living Radio was a 24-hour satellite radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 110 produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. The station aired a variety of programming hosted by the company's team of experts, covering to ...

, and other programs. She contributed to ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'' and '' New Hampshire Home''.

''Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito''

''Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito,'' is a thirty-minute

cooking show A cooking show, cookery show, or cooking program (also spelled cooking programme in British English) is a television genre that presents food preparation, often in a restaurant kitchen or on a Television studio, studio set, or at the host's p ...

produced for

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

by Esposito's own Mary Esposito Productions, and taped at New Hampshire Public Television. The show features Esposito's recipes and cooking tips, and visits from guest chefs. She also explores the history of Italian cooking and food. Through the show, Esposito seeks to help her viewers learn about new recipes that are "doable, authentic, and good." When deciding what to feature on the show, Esposito has four standards: she must like to eat the food, the ingredients should be easy to find, the recipe should be something unique and new to the viewer, and should be manageable by the kitchen staff. Every episode has twenty volunteers who work on the show. An entire season of shows, generally about thirty-two episodes, can be taped within two weeks during the summer, with two to three shows being taped a day. All of the food is made from scratch in the studio, with each dish being prepared in numerous batches and at different recipe stages. This allows Esposito to execute an entire recipe in a matter of minutes that might take hours to complete. All of the recipes are planned by Esposito and the kitchen staff. Volunteers gather all the pertinent ingredients from local markets and go to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

for specialty foods if unavailable locally. Recipes are prepared the day of the show. ''Ciao Italia'' is not scripted. The studio set is loosely based on Esposito's home kitchen. The view out the window of the set is painted to appear as the view of the Oyster River, which is seen from her home kitchen. To prepare for shows, Esposito researches and tests recipes outside the studio.

Restaurant

In 2020, Esposito opened a restaurant, also named "Ciao Italia". She stated, "I've been asked to do a Ciao Italia restaurant many times over the years, and I've always said no," but agreed to open one in her longtime hometown of Durham. Ownership and business model quickly pivoted, the very next year, 2021, to a wine bar owned by the Clark Family. Esposito is no longer mentioned on the website.

Recognitions

A scholarship foundation named after and maintained by Esposito awards scholarships for students seeking

financial aid Student financial aid in the United States is funding that is available exclusively to students attending a post-secondary educational institution in the United States. This funding is used to assist in covering the many costs incurred in purs ...

to study

culinary arts Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

. Esposito was awarded an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from

St. Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a Private college, private Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1889, it is named after Saint Ansel ...

. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Culinary and Cultural Arts of Italy by the

Order Sons of Italy in America The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, formerly the Order Sons of Italy in America (, OSIA), is the largest and the oldest Italian American Benefit society, fraternal organization in the United States. A similar organization exists ...

. She is in the Hall of Fame for the Italian Trade Commission. On June 2, 2013, a knighthood was bestowed upon her by the

President of the Italian Republic The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The presid ...

under the title ''Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia'' ( Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy).Staff (undated)
"Esposito Sig.ra Mary Ann"
(in Italian). Office of the

. Retrieved September 25, 2016. She was one of 160 people worldwide to receive this honor in 2013, and the only American. Esposito was honored in 2004 with the Advancement in Career award by her alma mater

Daemen College Daemen University is a private university in Amherst and Brooklyn, New York, United States. Formerly Daemen College and Rosary Hill College, the now-nondenominational school was founded by the Sisters of St. Francis in 1947. As of fall 2020, ...

Publications

* ''Plant, Harvest, Cook!: Ciao Italia''. Peter E. Randall Publisher: New Hampshire (2022). * ''My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy: Ciao Italia'' Peter E. Randall Publisher: New Hampshire (2018). * ''Celebrations Italian Style: Recipes and Menus for Special Occasions and Seasons of the Year''. Hearst Books: New York (1995). . Morrow Cookbooks: New York (1991). . * ''Bringing Italy Home''. . * ''Family Classics: More than 200 Treasured Recipes from 3 Generations of Italian Cooks''. St. Martin's Press: New York (2011). . * ''Five-Ingredient Favorites: Quick and Delicious Recipes from an Italian Kitchen''. St. Martin's Press: New York (2009). . * ''Tuscany: Traditional Recipes from One of Italy's Most Famous Regions''. St. Martin's Press: New York (2003). . * ''Umbria: Recipes and Reflections from the Heart of Italy''. St. Martin's Press: New York (2002). . * ''CPronto!: 30-Minute Recipes from an Italian Kitchen''. St. Martin's Press: New York (2005). . * ''Slow and Easy: Casseroles, Braises, Lasagne, and Stews from an Italian Kitchen''. St. Martin's Press: New York (2007). . *''Mangia Pasta!: Easy-To-Make Recipes for Company and Every Day''. Morrow Cookbooks: New York (1998). . * ''Nella Cucina: More Italian Cooking from the Host of Cucina Italiana''. Morrow Cookbooks: New York (1993). . * ''What You Knead''. Morrow Cookbooks: New York (1997). .

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Esposito, Mary Ann 1942 births 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American educators 21st-century American women writers American cookbook writers American television chefs American television hosts American writers of Italian descent People of Sicilian descent People of Campanian descent Educators from New York (state) Living people PBS people Television personalities from Buffalo, New York People from Durham, New Hampshire Recipients of Italian civil awards and decorations University of New Hampshire alumni University of New Hampshire faculty American women food writers Writers from New Hampshire Writers from Buffalo, New York American women chefs American women non-fiction writers American women television hosts 20th-century American women educators 21st-century American women educators American women academics Chefs from New Hampshire