As he looks back, his training as a chef started in his hometown when he was very young. He would go to the outdoor market every Friday morning with his mother, help carry her bags, taste the food samples the vendors were giving out, as his mother would explain to him how important fresh, home-grown, and local ingredients are to their Southern Italian recipes. The secret to making a good dish is always the ingredients you choose.

When he was young, Gregorio’s mother wanted to make sure that even her boys learned how to cook. Of all his brothers, he was the most interested in learning how to make authentic Southern Italian food. At the age of 6 he was already making fresh pasta with his grandmother for Sunday lunch. Family meals are very important in Italy.

The sense of community in Southern Italy revolves around family, local food and good wine. People love to share their food; it’s in their blood! Gregorio also believes that food for Italians is like love. “You are showing people your love when you are making them a great meal”, he says.

His father, who worked full time as bulldozers driver, supported this philosophy by having a small farm close to their house because he wanted to make sure his 8 children developed their own passion and love for food.

Chef Gregorio learned from his family the importance of using fresh and local ingridients in the rustic Southern Italian cuisine.

When he was a teenager, he worked at local restaurants on his summer breaks from school to learn more from professional chefs.

After his parents passed away at the young age of 57 his dad and 63 his mamma, Gregorio started to realize that life is too short to dream only. He started to work hard to make his dreams true.

It was only when he met his American wife Paige, who was enrolled in a cooking school in Italy at the time and moved to her home town in Richmond, Virginia, that he understood how so many people crave this fresh, simple way of eating.

Gregorio and Paige wanted to share the family style feel and taste of Southern Italy with others through Dinner in the Field. This began in 2014 and it has been a huge success. Dinner in the Field and Gregorio’s family recipes have been a such a hit in Virginia and many of their followers wanted to see where they came from.

Gregorio loved the idea of showing people from all over the World his hometown and have them meet his family and friends. This is how Southern Italy Alfresco tours got started!

After 7 years in Virginia, Gregorio decieded to move back to Southern Italy beacuse he couldn’t stay away from his motherland, his family, his traditions and the simple life. He is very excited to meet new friends in Italy, show them around, share story with them and talk about gtood food and wine while traveling around Southern Italy, the Magna Grecia!