Ep 82. Daniela Sfara - Cooking by Heart Not by Recipe

About this episode

Daniela Sfara shares her journey of reinventing her life at 50 by returning to her culinary roots and preserving Italian foodways.

What happens when you completely reinvent your life at 50—and return to the culinary traditions that shaped you? In Episode 82, host Erik Wolf speaks with Daniela Sfara, the Canadian-Italian chef, cultural ambassador, and founder of ITALUS whose mission is to preserve the disappearing regional foodways of Italy. Daniela shares her extraordinary personal transformation from a 20-year jewellery career to becoming a respected voice in culinary culture, hospitality excellence, and immersive food experiences across Italy, Dubai, Europe, and North America. Daniela’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and deep cultural stewardship. Whether you work in food, tourism, hospitality, or simply love Italian cuisine, this is an inspiring reminder that food is identity, and preserving culinary heritage is an act of service to future generations.

People in this episode

Host: Erik Wolf

Guest: Daniela Sfara

Topics covered

• culinary traditions
• personal transformation
• cultural stewardship
• Italian cuisine
• food identity
• hospitality excellence

Keywords

• culinary traditions
• Italian cuisine
• cultural ambassador
• hospitality
• food identity
• regional foodways
• personal transformation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ITALUS

Places: Italy, Dubai, Europe, North America

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