Maria Filice is a cookbook author, food stylist, and publisher who grew up in Canada, the daughter of immigrants from Calabria, Italy. She says she “learned from the best—her mother, grandmother, and aunts—whom she watched [in the kitchen] from the time she could barely walk.” Maria brings those lessons to her first book, Breaking Bread in L'Aquila.

Maria married Paul Piccone in 1997, the publisher for Telos Press, and moved from Toronto to New York. It was then that she dove into her kitchen and honed her natural skills as a accomplished home cook and host. When her husband died in 2004, Maria took over as publisher of Telos. Known as Mary Piccone in publishing circles, she continues in her role as publisher today.

In both her kitchen and her professional life, Maria's philosophy is to live life to its fullest. She recognizes that neither her lack of experience in publishing nor in formally trained cooking could dissuade her from taking risks or diminish her passion. Maria's warmth, humor, and gregarious personality make people feel welcome, relaxed, and motivated to discover their own style in the kitchen.

Today, Maria lives in upstate New York where she is publisher of Telos Press, as well as publisher, author, and food stylist for Food and Fate Publishing. While Breaking Bread in L'Aquila is her first book, she promises additions to her Breaking Bread book series. Maria plans to sell her cookies for the 2013 Holiday season on her website:  www.foodandfate.com.