Staff: CHIARA ASSI : Coastalbeat.com | Southwest Florida's premier entertainment guide and online magazine.

CHIARA ASSI

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■ See what I'm cooking, read my blog

When I was little I didn't like food. In my hometown of Milano, Italy, my foodie family gorged on the incredible meals that they prepared, while I sat and picked at my pasta with butter -one of the few dishes I ate. The last thing my parents would have imagined is that I would grow up to be a restaurant critic and food writer. But that's what I did. By the time I was 10, I had become extremely interested in food and cooking. Helping in the kitchen and trying new foods everyday was the name of the game. That made me pretty popular with my friends once I hit high school because I could feed them -and loved to- regardless of the time of day. Pasta at midnight? No problem. Sandwiches for lunch? Sure! Once I even baked a cake at 2 in the morning. If I have to be honest, though, I never though about becoming a food writer. I wanted to be a journalist, that I always knew, but I wanted to cover foreign affairs, wars and the likes. After receiving my Associate degree in Communication Science from IULM university in MIlano, I moved on this side of the Atlantic and received a B.A. in Communications at Florida Gulf Coast University in 2005. In 2006 I started my job as an intern for NDN's coastalbeat.com, where I covered bars and local events. Writing a review for the website's "Eats: $15 and under" was the first step towards my current career. Once I transitioned to the Features department I gladly started writing about food and restaurants on a weekly basis. My love and knowledge of food makes my job always exciting and very rewarding. When I'm not working I like to spend time at home, with my 103 cookbooks, or out on the water, scuba diving, wakeboarding and grilling on the beach.

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