Curious Appetite now on Substack as Coral
Here we blog again!
If we’re meeting for the first time allow me to introduce myself. Curious Appetite is the name of a food blog mostly about Italy by (me) Coral Sisk, an American blogger with Persian and Sicilian heritage. I’m half Persian and yes, I have been to Iran. I don’t talk about that so much because I grew up a little differently and as a result I don’t speak Farsi. Professionally, I lead tours as a sommelier, food writer and culinary travel specialist. My sincerest wish is to write on Substack with an even more honest set of lens from which I observe Italy and food.
You can learn more about my story and background HERE and my guiding morals HERE.
I opened Curious Appetite on Wordpress in 2010 while living in Seattle. The name (and blog’s concept) came to me strangely enough at an Italian restaurant in Ballard called “Volterra” over brunch (funny because I still have not been to actual Volterra. And I now hate brunch like any self-respecting food person). I began blogging with absolutely no strategy nor any clue where it would have taken me.
At the time I opened my blog, I had freshly graduated from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Italian Studies with a minor in (Food) Geography and to be honest I had no f***ing clue what the hell I was doing. I was living in Seattle waiting tables, living in limbo and wasting time on dead-end situationships. Normal early 20’s stuff?
My last semester was spent studying in Rome which concluded with a WWOOF’ing stint in Puglia. I came back to the US (Seattle) with a lot of student debt, no (real) job leads but myriad thoughts on food. While I was stalled, I had my blog to channel what passion left I mustered to express. Food has been my #1 passion my entire life.
In the first years of my blog, and burnt out from the service industry- I got a sales job for a supplement company. Nothing to do with my university degree but I lost hope my dream to move and live in Italy was possible. I wanted to have a steady paycheck and settle into American life.
That is, until I walked out on the job while talking to a Sicilian ceramics artisan too long at a weekly farmer’s market in the parking lot of some annoying health food store. I was supposed to be inside shaking up samples of some toxic diet culture bulls*** protein smoothie. Fed up with living a lie, I said f*** it.
I took a break to get some sun (a then rare event in Seattle) and got lost with this artist talking about Italy and how much we both missed it. I was so over putting on a fake front for a bogus company for a steady paycheck. And never looked back.
Then jobless, I had more time for my blog and signed up for a food & wine pairing certificate program at a culinary school. I made a promise to myself I’d take the time to find jobs related to my passions and to stop doing jobs I hated.
Soon after, I got a sales rep position at a winery and the true life changing gig leading food tours around Seattle. I was lucky the owner became a life-long friend and mentor. Thanks to these random opportunities, I realized I loved giving food tours and truly wanted to make this my career going forward.
The food & wine pairing program I attended in between jobs advertised an opportunity to complete my certification in Florence. You bet your mortadella a** I applied.
I got into the program, sold all my stuff in Seattle and moved to Florence in 2012 with nothing but a shoebox room in a shared flat, daily class schedule and a paltry amount of savings. Oh, and an Italian passport. I mentioned prior I have Sicilian heritage and my Italian family name is “Prestangelo”, hence why I inserted it in this Substack’s title.
When I moved to Florence on my own, I continued blogging while doing odd jobs/figuring out wtf I was going to do. Unlike many, I didn’t have a Fabio or family help anchoring me.
Then, I wrote about my observations as an American integrating into Italian life (beyond my previous stints as a study abroad student) as well as my favorite rituals of Florence from gelato, Negroni at aperitivo and my favorite restaurants and market hauls that I felt were teaching me how to eat like a Florentine.
Fast forward and I began pitching article ideas to sites like Vogue, Eater, Vice Munchies and started getting published. You can find my press/byline clips here.
The themes from my blog also parlayed into travel consulting and curated culinary experiences in Florence, Bologna and around Tuscany. I also studied to become a certified Italian-trained sommelier via FISAR. In sum, I figured my s*** out.
I am beyond grateful for the opportunities blogging has led me towards and it is an example that you can (and should) follow your gut, do. what you love and some things can be in your control if you’re lucky.
There are so many things I’d like to write about, beyond just food, including my experience as a woman who has struggled with body acceptance, observations around mental health and some insane life stories. And why I’m so bored of people sugarcoating life in Italy or giving people false hope of what it can bring you. I’m also trying to steer away from being overly negative or sour grapes but sharing the jewels life in Italy does bring along with the bittersweet honesty.
So now I’m here on Substack to share new inspiration and reflections, and I sincerely hope you appreciate and find some value in what you have read in your precious time.
I want this to be a space to write about the things I want to write about, without it having an SEO scope or to curate a digestible persona.
For now you might find random personal stories, alternative travel guides, unfiltered commentary on hot food & travel topics (like why I think All’Antico Vinaio makes a sandwich that belongs in the garbage or why Milan might be home to the most exciting food in Italy and why I hate the Cinque Terre), plus unique lists of my favorites to keep things light and useful.
For announcements of new articles from the publications I collaborate with, news from our tours and experiences, I’ll continue sharing on this newsletter until I’m convinced Substack is worth risking on that space too. And if you want curated advice on navigating food in Florence, Bologna and random places like Venice and Lisbon- you can sift past posts through my original food culture blog. I share daily updates from Florence on Instagram and fun takes on Italy via TikTok.
You can e-mail to inquire about a food tour or travel consult with me thecuriousappetite(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for reading and- alla prossima!