Meet Chef Anthony "Tony"

Named after his grandfather, Anthony was born in Annapolis, Maryland, where the Chesapeake Bay whispered promises of fresh seafood and adventure. His family moved to Seattle, Washington when he was just a toddler, where the Pacific Northwest taught him about wild salmon and coffee culture. At age 4, Chef Tony, his parents, and his two new sisters Malia and Angelina, settled in Ellicott City, Maryland, a charming town where his Italian American family's kitchen became his first classroom.

Growing up in an Italian American household, Sunday dinners were sacred. The aroma of simmering tomato sauce, the sound of fresh pasta being rolled, and the warmth of family gathered around the table shaped everything he would become. His father, recognizing a kindred spirit, started teaching him to cook at the tender age of five. The legendary moment? Little Anthony loved to watch his Dad cook and wanted to help. His dad smiled, handed him a plastic knife, and taught him how to cut garlic for the Sunday sauce. That simple act of trust and teaching would change everything.

That plastic knife moment sparked a lifelong passion. Anthony went on to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where he specialized in Asian cuisine—a delicious plot twist for an Italian American kid! To this day, if you ask him his favorite food, he'll light up talking about Thai curries, Japanese ramen, Korean barbecue, and Vietnamese pho. The fusion of his Italian roots and Asian expertise creates magic in the kitchen.

These days, Chef Tony is the proud curator of the Global Cookbook, a treasure trove of recipes from every corner of the world. But here's the secret: many of those recipes aren't just curated—they're invented by him. That Asian-Italian fusion pasta? Tony's creation. He loves pushing boundaries, combining his Italian heritage with his Asian expertise, always with a mischievous grin and a "What if we tried this?" and "I think I can make it better if I add..."

While the world calls him Tony, his parents steadfastly call him Anthony—because that's the name they gave him. They also fell in love with Italy and moved to Umbria, where they now run an olive farm. The whole family together again, this time under the Umbrian sun—it's the kind of ending (or beginning!) that only happens in the best food stories.

When Chef Tony isn't inventing new recipes or curating the Global Cookbook, you'll find him at the local market in Umbria, chatting with vendors in his improving Italian, selecting the perfect ingredients for his next culinary experiment. His blue eyes still light up when he talks about food—whether it's his father's Sunday sauce or the perfect bowl of ramen. Because for Chef Tony, cooking isn't just about feeding people; it's about telling stories, building bridges between cultures, and sharing love, one recipe at a time.