Carlo Middione is well regarded as a restaurateur, author, teacher, and an authority on authentic Sicilian-style food, Southern Italian cuisines and numerous regional influences from throughout Italy. More than 25 years ago, Carlo introduced the European concept of dining and prepared foods to San Francisco.

Today, Carlo and his wife, Lisa, personally operate a bustling Sicilian-style restaurant in San Francisco's upper Fillmore District. Vivande Porta Via features an open kitchen, counter eating and a quaint "old Sicily" ambiance that delivers the same food dining experience one appreciates in Southern Italy.

As an author -- and now a blogger! -- Carlo's cookbooks have been acclaimed and well received since his initial publication titled The Food of Southern Italy (1987) became the first American cookbook to focus on regions south of Rome. The title won Carlo the coveted Tastemaker Award (now called the James Beard Award), and it remains a classic on Southern Italian food. A second title La Vera Cucina (1996) features exceptional, lesser-known dishes from throughout Italy and an emphasis on Southern Italy, especially Sicily. Carlo Middione's Traditional Pasta cookbook captures Sicily's pasta traditions in an easy-to-follow format along with other delicious pastas from throughout Italy.

Carlo Middione began teaching Sicilian cooking in the mid-1970s, drawing on his warm personality, smooth comfortable kitchen skills, and amazing enthusiasm for Sicilian food. Carlo's Blog is a testament to his individuality and dedication to preserving the taste, texture and freshness of authentic Southern Italian cooking.

Carlo's Sicilian parents were both accomplished and well-trained restaurant and pastry chefs. When they immigrated to the U.S. in 1920, the Middione family brought its Old World traditions that had been nurtured by generations of restaurateurs and innkeepers in Southern Italy. As the youngest of 13 children, Carlo received his practical European and Southern Italian cooking training from his early youth in his parents' New York and California restaurants.

In the mid-1990s, Middione hosted the Learning Channel's "Carlo Cooks Italian," a television series based on his award-winning book "The Food of Southern Italy." The program still airs today on various satellite affiliates. Carlo has appeared on numerous broadcasts such as the Frugal Gourmet, The Microwave Master, A.M. San Francisco and the Narsai David show promoting the attributes of Sicilian cooking and food preparation traditions of areas throughout Southern Italy.