Dana Klitzberg has been educated in Italian cuisine over the course of 20 years spent visiting and living in Italy, as a student, traveler, resident, and professional chef. Ms. Klitzberg started her cooking career at the renowned Italian restaurant San Domenico NY, and later moved to Rome, Italy, where she spent more than 7 years. She continued cooking in restaurants in Rome, working her way up to executive chef. Simultaneously, she launched blu aubergine, in 2001, originally with the intention to cater events and teach cooking classes to visiting foreigners in Italy. Over the years and the course of her restaurant career, the company grew into a favorite catering company for international clients in film and the arts, diplomatic institutions (embassies, the American Academy), and governing agencies like the Rome-based Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the UN.

When she wasn’t behind the burners in Roman restaurants, Ms. Klitzberg was writing about them – as restaurant critic for various publications including the Time Out and Fodor’s guides to Rome and Italy.

She now spends most of her time in New York City, and returns to Rome several times a year for extended stays, during which she continues to conduct classes and tours, write about Italian food, and renew inspiration in her food-obsessed surroundings. Ms. Klitzberg now enjoys the pulsating metropolis of Manhattan, where the diverse culinary offerings allow her to answer the perennial Italian dinner question of “pizza or pasta?” with “neither.”

Ms. Klitzberg grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia in English Language and Literature. She received a professional degree in Culinary Arts from Manhattan’s Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump’s) in 1999.

Ms. Klitzberg is a proud member of these professional organizations: