san diego food finds

Maria Desiderata Montana is an award-winning food and wine journalist, editor, and published author who gained an appreciation of European cuisine from her parents who were born and raised in Calabria, Italy.  Maria credits her mother who taught her how to cook at an early age using fresh, organic ingredients including fava beans, tomatoes, and an assortment of fruits and vegetables from her father’s garden.  She loves to be in the kitchen creating new recipes for her family and friends.

Currently, Maria is the Food and Wine Editor of Ranch and Coast Magazine, a luxury lifestyle San Diego publication in which she reviews restaurants and provides readers with a glimpse of gourmet fare from all over Southern California.  Maria is a regular contributor to Dining Out Magazine San Diego and has contributed to their Toronto, Canada, Fort Lauderdale, and New York City issues with both restaurant articles and art stories published in the luxury/living section.  Maria still enjoys frequently writing for Night & Day section of the San Diego Union-Tribune and has been extensively published in the dining section of Sign On San Diego.  Her newest venture is contributing restaurant reviews, as well as information about food and personal Italian recipes in her own column titled Cent’ Anni (Italian for “May you live 100 Years”) at San Diego Entertainer Magazine.  Also, read some of Maria’s reviews at the San Diego Uptown News and Local Saute Magazine. 

Maria is an Honorary Committee member of the San Diego Press Club and a member of The James Beard Foundation and the OC Foundation.