Sandy Montalbano

A native Long Islander, Sandy Montalbano has always loved food and the instant gratification of producing a succulent meal. Formerly in real estate, Sandy decided to take a financial risk and pursue her passion for creating cuisine. She attended the New York based Institute of Culinary Education where she received her Career Culinary Arts Diploma. Off and running, she worked under world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten for two years where she refined her techniques and developed her own culinary personality.

During this time she also helped to design and creates stunning pastries for different commercials. Although Sandy possesses a true talent for baking, she claims that it requires long periods of sitting down, which go against the grain of her energetic nature. She also feels that it is too much of an exact science with little room for the improvisation or invention that she loves.

Thus when the opportunity arose for her to work with The Italian Culinary Institute, Sandy jumped at it, saying that she has always enjoyed Italian food because, “it's simple, delicious, and doesn't require extraneous accoutrements, which allows me to use my creativity and also to incorporate only the freshest ingredients.” Along with fresh ingredients, she believes that bringing people you love together and cooking with heart are the keys to producing quality cuisine.

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