Saul and Jade gave me this nickname because every time I travel anywhere I pile all my hats into a giant stack. And then I pop them onto the top of my head so I can’t crush them.

And since I have never given a damn what others think about me I just smile back at all the onlookers who stand and gawk at me whilst trying to stifle their laughter.

Today marks the beginning of a 3-month adventure in Italy. And I am so excited to be back home in Lucca. The cooking school build-out is underway and I cannot wait to see the project and open up @SusinaCuina. It’s a dream come true.

I am also going to be taking some Italian classes over the summer. Even though I can understand the language well and I have a huge vocab, I have not yet mastered the basic grammar. So I am going back to school.

Jady arrives after finals and my gorgeous sister Justine and my nephew Chase will be visiting us. I have not seen either of them since my mom passed, so this is probably the best part of the summer. Spending it with family and those I love most in the world.

I am working on some final rewrites for the book and I plan on cooking up a storm. And we are going to do a lot of sightseeing and tasting. So stay tuned for all the fun.