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Meet Janine

 

the birth of
homemade by bruno

I am an Italian American Pastaia who values tradition and finds absolute joy in cooking, eating, and sharing meals with people. I love to bring alive a combination of family recipes dating back to over 100 years ago with my new creations, always preserving the authenticity of Old-World Italy. I have cooked my way through Italy and worked with my family in New York and the Bruno side that still lives in Sicily to create a new twist on some of our classic family recipes. I don’t always follow a recipe per se, but I teach you how to go by feel, touch, and taste. 

 
 
 
 

Cooking was always a big part of my family life, but I didn’t really start to get into it until several devastating life changing events. Being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30 was shortly followed by losing both a job that I loved and my long-term relationship. I felt like my whole life was falling apart. I went through unimaginable heartache and felt like I had lost everything, but I found solace in cooking. This became an outlet for my creative mind but also allowed me to create delicious meals for friends and family. When my cousin, Alberto Bruno from Sicily, came to stay in 2018 we spent most of our time cooking and making handmade pasta. It was then that I knew this was my true passion and talent. Italians tend to have a strong need to bring people together with food and wine. The kitchen is the heart of our homes. This married two of my absolute favorite things: keeping my Italian traditions alive, and eating really amazing pasta. Homemade by Bruno was born.