Executive Chef & Mother to Henry & Victor Belmonte, Maria was born in Bonito, Italy; a small town southeast of Naples in 1940, where she began her education of traditional Italian food at an early age. Maria learned first hand the rustic approach to Italian cooking, experiencing true traditional southern Italian dishes, using all the resources and sometimes lack of, that were available to the family. Maria was one of the first to utilize local meats & produce to create both the true rustic Italian dishes and California cuisine. Her creative poultry & seafood dishes are now featured at the famous Café Portofino Restaurant in Santa Rosa. Today Maria spends her time teaching enthusiastic students at local culinary schools, crafting new recipes to pair with wines sent to our exclusive wine club and continues to fascinate and amaze guests with her creations at special events held at the winery. Maria’s has created a line of sauces, Cucinare con Amorepestos & tapenades which have been featured in publications such as, Wine Spectator, In Style Magazine and Wine Country This Week and has released her cookbook, Cucinare Con Amore, (Cooking with Love) with many of her famous recipes. All of Maria’s products can be purchased through our online store.