Chef Nino (Thibodaux) grew up in the heart of Southern Louisiana having relatives that still hunted and trapped animals for a living. I had my own Pirogue paddling deep into the bayous catching crawfish, killing (and eating) Racoons, Bull Frogs, Soccalet, Garfish, Alligators, Rabbits, Squirrels, Blackbirds and eating coovient. Then thrust into the Sicilian Countryside and lived there for 13 years, each day learning and extracting valuable lessons of life, culture and culinary, alongside the foothills of Mt. Etna. This Louisiana Boy is now fully immersed in the thick ofItalian lifestyle. No Microwaves, No freezers, no wall mart, no air conditioning, no fast food. Every meal had to be cooked from scratch. The kind Sicilians literally took me by the hand and taught me how to develop from scratch recipes using fresh local ingredients with olive oil, garlic, and herbs to create the most flavorful, healthy dishes. This changed my palate and lifestyle. It became a Passion, then an Obsession and then an Occupation to teach and share what I tasted, saw, smelled, felt, heard, and experienced while in Sicily. What I learned about cooking I learned from real people in real Italy. This is my credential. Even though Schooled and Educated beyond my means in another setting in another era, and working in Italy totally non realated to Cooking, IT became my passion and my new found passion. Returning to Louisiana after my tenure in Italy, I started Friends OfItaly Culinary Institute and Language School. It took off with great success and I am still amazed the amount of Students I still teach daily and weekly spread out from Ocean Springs Mississippi to Lafayette Louisiana. A driving span of four hours. I am in 23 cities and reaching further each day. I have a platform and an audience because what I do is unique. Bringing life experiences and stories ofItaly steeped through the soul and heart of a Sincere, Practical, Louisiana Boy.