Talking with the Queen of Calabrian Cuisine

One of seven children, Adelina was born in the small Calabrian town of Cervicati, Cosenza, Italy. Adelina's mother taught her to cook from an early age, igniting a lifelong passion.

Adelina describes her life in Calabria as simple: 

We did all the normal things. We went to school and ate the fruit from the trees on our property, but the region was poor, and many Calabrians were migrating to Australia for work. We knew sooner or later we'd end up elsewhere. My father migrated to Australia in the 1960s. Life without dad was difficult. We joined him in 1968. I hadn't seen my dad for 6 years!

Adelina was 15 years old when she arrived in Australia. As a teenager, the hardest part was leaving her friends. Nevertheless, she embraced moving in the hope of achieving "“a better life". She found learning English easy, and by age 21, she was the first in her family to become an Australian citizen. 

Adelina undertook a variety of jobs including working in an office and in a family business. None of these were her passion. It was only when Adelina was 40, and her husband asked her "“What is it that you really want to do in life?", that Adelina set off on a different path. Already a talented home cook, her passion was hospitality, but she did not have the proper credentials. No one would hire her. That's when she decided to undertake a culinary course at a postsecondary college and earn a qualification. 

Adelina thoroughly enjoyed her course because she was trained in a variety of cuisines, including French. In 1996, she graduated and set out to pursue a career as a chef. She worked in several restaurants, including as head chef in the iconic Campari Restaurant in Melbourne's city center. Adelina also joined Enoteca Vino Bar, Australia's only officially recognized Enoteca, as a pastry chef. There she baked a variety of traditional Italian desserts such as biscotti and cakes, as well as making handmade pasta. Her enthusiasm for sharing her cooking knowledge led to her establishing her own cooking school, Adelina's Kitchen Dromana, in 2013. 

During her cooking classes, many students would ask her for her recipes, and the idea for her first cookbook, Learn, Cook, Enjoy, was born. Adelina would go on to produce another two cookbooks, in 2015 and 2017. While her first three are all about Italian cuisine, her fourth delves into the culinary traditions and customs of her Calabrian heritage. 

After her mother passed away in May of 2018, Adelina wanted to find a way to honor her as her first culinary inspiration. Dolce e Salato / Sweet & Savoury, consisting of only traditional Calabrian recipes, was released in 2019.

When Adelina cooks traditional Calabrian recipes, memories of time spent with her mother come flooding back. She remembers her mother's generosity and the way she would cook extra food to give to neighbors (in both Italy and Australia). Growing up, Adelina aspired to be just like her mother.

 In 2019, Adelina was made an Ambassador of the Accademia delle Tradizioni Enogastronomiche di Calabria for her work in the promotion of Calabrian cuisine through her cookbooks and cooking classes in Australia. To Adelina's delight, as part of this accolade, she received a Piatto dell'Accademia (Academy Plate).

Adelina's fifth book, Dolce e Salato / Sweet & Savoury 2, was released in 2021 and is written in English only. It is in a different format to her previous four and includes many step-by-step photographs. 

Adelina loves to learn, teach, and cook, and her humble and generous personality is what has made her cookbooks and promotion of regional Calabrian cooking so successful. Our hearts, and our tummies, are certainly full when Adelina cooks.

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