Part chef, part entertainer and part philosopher, Chef Silvia Bianco is unique. Her generosity of spirit along with her engaging, practical style has been appreciated by thousands of students for more than 15 years. It comes across quite naturally and it's easy for anyone to see how, when teaching, she's completely in her element. Born in the Calabria region of Italy, she comes from a long line of naturally good cooks (and eaters). In 1993 she left a successful corporate sales career in New York City, to create Biscotti, making her one of only a handful of chefs with an MBA. Biscotti was a much loved community favorite for 10 years, winning a Zagat's "Award of Distinction" year after year. She wowed her customers with her own original sauteed Italian dishes--dishes which exemplified the simplicity of her native Italian cuisine while taking wide liberties to create a distinctive contemporary style that was purely her own. This is when she became known simply as, Chef Silvia. In 1995, Chef Silvia began conducting cooking classes in her restaurant kitchen. In the last several years, she has given classes in her home-based demonstration kitchen to private groups and some of America's top corporations, including: GE, Unilever, MetLife, Nestle, Pepperidge Farm, The Gap, and many, many more. She is the author of Simply Saute, the first in-depth book on saute in the US; has cooked on stage at the Ridgefield Playhouse, at the James Beard House and on numerous TV shows including The Today Show. She is among the panel of top culinary experts selected by The Atlantic Monthly to contribute critical evaluations.