Suzanne Carreiro grew up in Marin County, California. In 2001 she moved to Napa Valley's famous wine town, Saint Helena, to be closer to her job as PR Director for Beringer Vineyards' Italian wines. Shortly after leaving Beringer, she spent almost six months in Umbria, learning to speak Italian and doing research for a book. A few years later, Suzanne packed up and moved to Umbria for a year to finish research for, "The Dog Who Ate the Truffle: A Memoir of Stories and Recipes from Umbria" (published by Thomas Dunne, August 2010). Prior to writing her cookbook, her long career in food included developing recipes and writing for major publications and food companies; styling food for photography; and doing food and wine PR. Throughout Suzanne’s career, she taught cooking classes—most recently at the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, where she still lives with her 8th grade boyfriend and two cats. Suzanne is passionate about using good, fresh ingredients, preferably organic and locally grown. She returns to Umbria as often as possible to visit her "adopted" Umbrian family and friends. She also leads tours--EAT, DRINK & MAKE PHOTOS--in Umbria with a master photographer, Murray Rockowitz. Her other favorite place is Washington DC, where her son and his family live. To get recipes, travel tidbits, restaurant reviews, and information about her tours, visit www.toumbria.com and sign up for her blog.
