A passionate home cook for more than 35 years, Lori brings both professional experience and personal warmth to her work. She was a culinary instructor at Williams-Sonoma and has created nearly 300 Italian recipes that over 1 mm readers across the world cook and return to, week after week.

Her inspiration comes from her grandmas — Josie and Nina — who taught her that food is about much more than cooking. It’s about generosity, connection, and creating a table people want to linger around.

Lori’s recipes are known for being approachable and reliable, while never sacrificing bold flavor. Her philosophy is simple: Italian food should be unfussy, fresh, and always worth sharing. Whether it’s a two-person Tuesday dinner or a ten-person Sunday supper, she develops recipes to fit real life.

When she isn’t cooking, Lori lives outside Chicago with her husband and her growing family of avid cooks who inspire many of her recipes. Lori and her cute hubby recently remodeled a 1941 ranch—talk about a test of a relationship! They also have a rescue senior pup named Maddon, who they love except when they walk him.

At home, you’ll find Lori either watching Bravo when she should be reading my book club book, yapping on the phone with friends or online drooling over interior design.

Read more about the real Josie and Nina here.