Welcome to For Carbs’ Sake

Ciao! I’m Dana, a recipe developer, food photographer, and food-loving Neapolitan gal. Growing up, I was exposed to the typical New York Italian-American culture: trips to Long Island’s Italian bakeries for cannoli and rainbow cookies, and the “pork stores” for freshly made stuffed shells or manicotti. 

Luckily, I had a good metabolism.

The pinnacle for me was Sunday dinners that wouldn’t have been possible without a pot of my mom’s long-simmering meat sauce, filled with the likes of sweet sausage, braciole, and, of course, juicy meatballs.

It wasn’t uncommon for my mom and me to “test” a meatball before serving as part of quality control, or dip a piece of crusty Italian bread (“fare la scarpetta”) into the mouthwatering sauce.

To this day, bread dipping is still the Best. Thing. Ever.

The Launch of For Carbs’ Sake

My lifelong love of food inspired me to launch For Carbs’ Sake in 2023, where I include a lot of the Italian and Italian-American recipes I grew up enjoying, like my mom’s classic Italian meatballs, pasta and peas in red sauce, peppers and eggs sandwich, and baked vinegar chicken recipe with potatoes (although some have been tweaked slightly by yours truly).

My blog also draws inspiration from my travels and 15 years as a NYC resident, where food plays a significant role in the city’s culture. I’m further inspired by other food bloggers and by the ideas I literally dream up in my sleep.

As much as I love Italian food and make it the focus of For Carbs’ Sake, I also sneak in some Mediterranean and Asian cuisine (two of my other favorites). Try this Mediterranean shrimp orzo salad or bacon and egg fried rice (also two of my favorites).

Life Before Food Blogging

Before I started this blog, I spent years as a writer and editor shaping other people’s stories. Although I still do that, I also now tell my own stories with people like you through food—food that I hope tastes like home to you, whether you’re Italian or not! 

So, pull up a chair because there’s always room for one more at the table. Mangia!

Some Facts About Me

-Cilantro and I were never friends. In fact, you’ll never find it in any recipes on this site, especially since it’s not a common herb in Italian food.

-I eat dinner early . . . like 3:00 p.m. early. It allows me to photograph my recipes in natural light and eliminates the need for an evening cleanup. And no, I don’t eat lunch 🙂

-I now live in Wake Forest, North Carolina, which is about 10 minutes from Raleigh.

-I worked on Wall Street for many years, but I don’t have a financial background. I have an English degree. 

-I began to take cooking seriously in 2008. It just happened naturally.

-My desert-island food is fried eggplant. Always.

-I have the best Schnoodle dog, Lucy (also my best friend).

What Are Some of My Own Favorite Recipes?

Check out these classic Italian meatballs (notice a trend with these?), Italian peppers with olives and breadcrumbs, linguine aglio e olio with roasted garlic, and one-pan orzo with tomatoes and olives.