CAHS Alumni Spotlight: Amy Marcelle Bellotti - Graduate is Living Her Dream in Italy

Amy Marcelle Bellotti, a 1997 graduate of the restaurant and Resort Management Program in the Department, was born and raised in Collbran, on the Western Slope of Colorado and has been working at the side of her French-born husband, Marc Lanteri, since 1998. Upon graduating from CSU, Amy decided to pursue her passion for Italian food in Italy, of course.

After scouring the Internet, Amy found a great culinary opportunity to study her food heritage in Italy. She was one of the first students from Colorado to attend this school. Amy obtained her Master Chef certification at the Culinary Institute for Foreigners in Costigliole d’Asti in 1998 and is a Sommilier Professionalista in the Association of Italian Sommiliers. Her Italian work experience included the two Michelin star property of Miramonte l’Altro in Concessio (Brecia) 1999.

Today, she and her husband operate a wonderful restaurant in Cuneo, Italy, only a couple hours from the coast. The Lovera Palace Hotel, in which their restaurant is located, is a grand, historic hotel situated in the heart of Cuneo, near beautiful churches and the downtown market.

Amy’s passion for “l’arta in bianca” allows her to express her talent in the preparation of Antiche Contrade’s (www.antichecontrade.it) fresh pasta and bread baking. Her desire to work with the freshest of ingredients in their most pure form motivates her to work in her own garden space growing edible flowers, aromatic herbs, heirloom tomatoes, and other baby vegetables. Amy and Marc, Executive Chef, instruct private cooking lessons conducted in the professional restaurant’s kitchen followed by lunch at the Chef’s table. She enjoys accompanying English-speaking guests on guided wine tours and tastings in the Barolo and Barbaresco growing zones of Piemont.

Amy’s greatest motivation in her Italian restaurant lifestyle remains the intimate relationship between grower/producer and the culinary professional. Fresh porcini mushrooms found in the nearby valleys; cow goat, and sheep’s milk cheese produced locally; black-and-white truffles found near Alba; fine wines produced from Nebbiolo grapes and other native varieties; and very high-quality meats from local farms continue to inspire her and remind her why she chooses to call Northern Italy home.

Amy and Marc’s restaurant is a wonderful example of regional, sustainable cuisine in the Piemont region of Italy. They now have begun a new restaurant venture in Cuneo. If you should find yourself traveling in Italy, drop by and enjoy some of Amy and Marc’s award-winning cuisine.

This article originally appeared in the 2007 Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition newsletter.

click here for more Featured News

Contact:  Gretchen Gerding
Telephone:  970.491.5182
Email:  Gretchen.Gerding@ColoState.EDU