Linda Sarris

Linda Sarris is a food, wine, and travel consultant and private chef based in Palermo, Sicily. She left an office job in book publishing for a year of training at the French Culinary Institute that changed her world completely. After a scholarship from the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs organization sent her to a vineyard in Sicily, she fell in love with the island, its history, the warm people, the markets, and the incomparable weather. After nearly a decade of private chef-ing splitting time between New York and Sicily, she sold everything and moved full-time to Palermo.

From her sun-lit kitchen studio above the 1,000-year-old Ballaro food market, Linda works as a freelance writer, social media manager, and culinary communications consultant while still traveling regularly as a private chef, with clients in the fashion and music industries. Under her brand, The Cheeky Chef, she is self-publishing a Sicilian food and wine 'zine and curating a series of Mediterranean culinary lifestyle retreats and travel experiences. Read more on her website, www.lindasarris.com.

Laura Thayer first visited the Amalfi Coast in 2007 on a serendipitous holiday with her mother that would change the course of her life. After completing a master's in art history, with a thesis on the Duomo of Amalfi, she moved from the middle of America and now lives right in the heart of Amalfi.

Inspired by the captivating beauty of the area, Laura founded Ciao Amalfi, a trusted online source of insider travel tips and information about the area. She loves hiking along the coastline's rugged pathways, taking photos around each and every corner, and inspiring travelers to explore the Amalfi Coast through her writing and photography.

Over the past decade, Laura has shared her local insight on the Amalfi Coast by contributing to a variety of online travel publications, guidebooks, and magazines, including Italia! Magazine, Dream of Italy, The Simple Things, and Ambassador, the print magazine of the National Italian American Foundation. Laura's photos often accompany her writing, which highlights her passion for the interplay of words and images. Check out more of her writing at www.ciaoamalfi.com.