Shelly Green-Cerundolo turned a passion for Italian cooking into a business that helps others discover her love.
For italian food aficionados living on the North Shore, you might dream of sipping Chianti and dining on stuffed tortelli in the hilly Tuscan countryside. So why not bring a little taste of Italy to your own kitchen? Luckily, you don’t need to travel very far to live la dolce vita. Shelly Green-Cerundolo’s Italy Eats! in Beverly Farms is the perfect holiday gift for any culinary connoisseur.
Green-Cerundolo has been cooking— and teaching others on the North Shore to cook—fine Tuscan dishes for more than 10 years. On any given night, her kitchen is filled with the sound of laughter, and ingredients cover much of her counter space. The stoves are fired up, guest chefs are ready to cook, and the aroma of rustic Italian cooking wafts through the air.
In 1988, she and her husband, Raffaele Cerundolo, attended La Vera Cucina Italiana cooking school in Umbria under the tutelage of Master Chef Donoldo Soviero. She went on to attend several cooking schools throughout the country, learning to cook different regional dishes. Ever since, she has been teaching Italian cooking in her own home, which was modeled with a distinct Tuscan style in mind: granite countertops, wood stoves, and antique wooden tables, as well as backyard landscaping that mimics an Italian piazza.
“It’s like walking into a Tuscan kitchen,” Green-Cerundolo says of her home setup. Green-Cerundolo boasts that there is no other kitchen like hers on the East Coast, and certainly not in the Boston area, which is why diners on the North Shore come back to Italy Eats! time and time again. “It’s such a unique experience,” she says. “If they haven’t been to Italy, when they come here, it absolutely blows them away.”
From wood-fired pizzas to specialty soups, limoncello, and tiramisu, Italy Eats! offers a simplistic yet sophisticated rustic menu. Cooking classes usually run $150 per person or $210 for a couple (a partner joins in for the sit-down dinner only). Some of her events even benefit local charities, including the Fellowship Assistance Fund, which provides housing, clothing, and food to those in need. The kitchen accommodates up to eight guests at a time. Hosted gatherings can accommodate up to 50 people.
For clients who are ready to experience the real thing, Green-Cerundolo organizes intimate culinary excursions to her beloved Italy. There, travelers can enjoy a truly authentic adventure, taking in everything from wine tasting to sightseeing. italyeats.com.