ParlaFood is my personal blog where I get to take a break from my day job of writing for others to write about whatever I want, mostly about food I have eaten or want to eat, restaurant reviews, or mindless ramblings about my new favorite food or drink. Sometimes I sneak in a non-food related topic if I think something is important to share.

The mission of this blog is to get people taking about what they are eating and why they are eating it. I focus special attention on regional and seasonal dishes and hope that readers can learn more about Italian dining culture by reading my posts. I love recounting my dining experiences to anyone who will listen to them, and without all the people who read ParlaFood, write to me, and make comments, I would not have anywhere near the motivation to keep it going.

Of course, not everyone agrees with my opinions, which is fine. I want to know what readers think and welcome disagreement. That said, I will not tolerate trolls and abusive comments will be deleted. Sorry, ParlaFood isn’t a democracy and if you want to rant, get your own blog.

About the author: I am from New Jersey, aka the Garden State, and one of America’s many overlooked bastions of culture. I grew up in restaurants and have worked in them all my life. I went to Yale and graduated with a degree in Art History. While in New Haven, I honed my pizza and burger eating skills. In 2003, I moved to Rome and since then I have earned a sommelier certificate and an MA in the Cultura Gastronomica Italiana. I contribute to a number of publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, Rough Guides, Time Out, Fodor’s, DK Eyewitness, and Budget Travel.

For more about my freelance writing, consult my professional site www.katieparla.com. You can also follow me on twitter, Facebook, and Flickr. I can be contacted via email here.

You can email Katie at .