A Swiss-Italian Cook in Asia

A Swiss – Italian childhood 

I grew up in Switzerland, my father was Swiss, my mother Italian. Holidays were spent with our Italian family in the Piedmont or in Rome. I was a very curious child, so instead of playing in the garden I would watch my Nonna, Mamma, and Zia cooking sauces, preparing pasta, roasting meat, cleaning vegetables,m etc.

Different destinations

As a young girl I would cook for my classmates, often more than 20 people. I was unstoppable. After getting married, my husband and I lived in London, where my priority was to learn English. I grew up with Swiss German, German, Italian and French, so I learned the language in Great Britain by listening and copying. Again, I was cooking for friends, and I added British cuisine to my repertoire.

We moved back to Switzerland and had two children. As soon as my second child was born, we moved to Asia.

Hong Kong

We lived in Hong Kong for thirty-three years where I had the best time of my life! Hong Kong is a mix of European and Asian cultures, and it shows in the food. You can find hawkers selling traditional Chinese street food next to an English Pub. French restaurants sit next to Italian pizzerias, and Russian restaurants face open-air food markets. Paradise for me!

I had a roof garden where I hosted parties for 35-40 friends. I often made 100 cupcakes. My three children helped me with the cooking, baking, and preparations. Our home was the go-to destination for grilled homemade Swiss sausages. I served lasagna and Swiss potato salad.

After 33 years in Hong Kong, we retired and moved to the Philippines. This introduced me to a vibrant a mix of local south Asian, Chinese, and Spanish food. I love the variety of vegetables and all the different adobos!

On becoming a food blogger

I started food blogging in 2007, when my children were scattered around the world. The girls were at boarding school in Switzerland, and my son was learning Chinese in Beijing. They studied in America and Australia, and often asked for recipes. I started a website and put those recipes online for them.

Soon my audience grew from the three in my immediate family to many followers. I was astounded. After a few years I realized that I needed a proper domain and website. My second website (www.pane-bistecca.com) was built in 2018, after my older version broke during an update. And now we are busy renovating and improving it.

I am a member of several blogger groups. One that I enjoy is Culinary World Travel. Each month we post recipes from a chosen country. This is very interesting, as I love the story and culture behind food dishes. I am still as curious as a child! I have recipes from Peru, Kosovo, China, Japan, India, Italy, America, Switzerland, Namibia, Sweden, you name it!

Celiac disease

In 2018 our family was confronted with Celiac disease! One of my daughters was diagnosed with this auto immune disease and it changed the way we looked at food. We could no longer eat whatever we wanted. Even though four of us had no problems eating wheat, a single crumb of bread would sicken my daughter. So we had to adjust and learn how to cope. I’ve devoted a page on my blog to sharing information about the disease.

How my cooking classes began

I held on to traditions from both of my home countries, through all my years in Asia.

Each year on December 6 my family bakes Grittibaenz, a traditional Swiss bread for Santa Claus day. Over time, this tradition grew to include many neighborhood children and families, and classes followed.

I taught pasta making in West Island School in Hong Kong for four years, and have given several cooking classes at my home. I have taught whole Italian and Swiss menus, Christmas cookie baking, gnocchi, and more.