APT Press Release
 

 

Chef Suzi Massetti
Chef Suzi Massetti was born in Milan, Italy in 1955 and was literally in the kitchen almost from her birth. Suzi worked in her mother's restaurant kitchen at Trattoria La Cucina for many years. After working commercially in Milan for 12 years, Suzi moved north to Viareggio, a small seaside port in Tuscany. There she opened a restaurant, Cafe Buonamico, in partnership with her brother. Suzi lived and worked there until 1992.
  At that time she was hired as the personal chef for a Spanish businessman aboard his 165 foot Yacht, Paz. During her three year tenure aboard Paz, she toured; Africa, Spain, France, Greece, the West Indies, and practically every other port in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Coincidentally, Suzi made friends with the nanny aboard the Paz who was from Savannah, GA. A vacation trip to Savannah at the beckoning of the nanny resulted in Suzi and her family moving there. Suzi became the Executive Chef at John and Linda's Restaurant in Savannah's City Market. Two years later she opened her own restaurant, Zanzare, in the Sandfly area of Savannah. More recently she and her partner, Ben Sparacino, opened Savannah Steak House, in the Historic District of Savannah. Suzi and Marco, her husband, reside in Savannah with their two children, Andrea and Kafka.
Chef Suzi Massetti
     
From the Chef (totally unedited ..JUST LIKE SHE TALKS):
The first time that Rick Bowen ask me to be the Chef in a cooking show to be aired in TV, I thought he was crazy! Here I am with my funny English, trying to speak to a camera in a way I'll be understood from everybody! I sincerely thought that after the first episode, he would be actively (and secretly) search for somebody else. The experience was something else. It is a lot of hard work. You are working for at least 6 to 7 hours to produce a 26 minute episode. We went through some very funny moments, from burning a dish to a barking dog on the set. Beauregarde, Rick's beloved Golden Retriever, actually barked during the filming. Of course we kept that on the episode. Sometimes, this filming was very very, hard, but I have to admit that it was the greatest fun I have ever had! I'm enormously thankful for the opportunity, and flattered at the thought that somebody thinks that I'm such a great cook, (see, because I just love it, cooking that is). I always said that I"ll be the one making the most out of this adventure because I get to meet great people, and gain marvelous friends. Plus, I get to tell everybody that I'll be the next Emeril, just more cute! But most of all it was a joy to work with Rick and his wife Donna. We share the same passion for food and people. We all think cooking and eating is much more than just satisfying a basic necessity. It is a history lesson, a short trip into the essence of a country, and the pleasure of gathering and sharing with others. I sincerely hope you will enjoy this book and the videos. It is a work of passion! See you on TV.