I am a best-selling author of 19 books, an award-winning chef, television host, and Mediterranean lifestyle ambassador. I was named Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy by the President of the Italian Republic. I have also been dubbed “The Ambassador of Italian Cuisine in the US” by The Italian International Agency for Foreign Press, “Ambassador of the Italian Mediterranean Diet 2022 - 2024” in my ancestral homeland of Calabria, Italy, and “Ambassador of Mediterranean Cuisine in the World.”

In 2019, I launched a private label collection of premium Italian imported culinary ingredients called Amy Riolo Selections, and I am the brand ambassador for Marra Forni and The Pizza University and Culinary Arts Center.

I have made frequent appearances on numerous television and radio programs, and have created menus, culinary ceremonies, and educational seminars for diplomats, international chefs, and world leaders. I share history, culture, and nutrition through global cuisine as well as simplifying recipes for the home cook, and am now considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on culinary culture. 

I began my professional career in the world of fashion. After Cornell, I worked in the clothing sector for a decade before becoming a professional chef and author. Despite my culinary achievements, I have never abandoned my love of fashion and thus I collaborate with the Textile Museum in Washington, DC, Emcee events dedicated to fashion at the Italian Embassy.