In the rolling hills north of Venice, in the small town of Conegliano, “the Land of Prosecco,” the world’s most celebrated sparkling wine flows as abundantly as the stories that come from it. This is where Laura Bernardi Piovesana’s story begins, long before Pensacola came to know her as the Italian chef who brings people together around a table, whether that table is in a Gulf Coast kitchen or a family farmhouse in Veneto.
“I grew up with food the way some people grow up with music,” Laura recalls. “It was just there every day, part of life. My mother and grandmother never sat me down and said, ‘Now I will teach you to cook.’ I learned the way you learn a language by being immersed in it.”
That immersion shaped everything to come. After earning a business degree in Milan, Laura built a marketing career with Disney and Warner Bros., mastering the art of storytelling from two of the most influential entertainment brands in the world. But life, and love, had other plans.
Her high school sweetheart, Giovanni, a medical student with a passion for heart surgery, was accepted for training in the United States. “He came to Harvard for a residency rotation, loved it, and wanted to move,” she says. “I said, ‘Perfect. Let’s go.’”
What followed was a journey that would take them from Milan to Galveston, Texas; Gainesville, Florida; rural Albany, Georgia; and finally to Pensacola. Along the way, Laura transformed her own life’s script from corporate marketing executive to celebrated personal chef, avid sailor, and culinary tour leader.
It started simply. In Galveston, she began bringing homemade lasagna and tiramisu to friends’ dinners. “For me, this food was normal. But people were amazed. They had never tasted authentic lasagna before,” Laura remembers. When a group of local women suggested she start teaching cooking classes, Laura laughed and then said yes. Soon, what began as casual gatherings grew into a thriving business of private dinners and interactive lessons.
Wherever she and Giovanni moved, she brought the same formula: authenticity, connection, and stories told through food. In Albany, she became such a local celebrity that hospital staff began referring to her husband, the heart surgeon, as “Chef Laura’s husband.”
In Pensacola, she has woven herself into the cultural fabric, not just as a chef but as a community leader serving on the Ballet Pensacola Board, the Board of the PYC Satori Foundation, supporting Junior Sailing at the Pensacola Yacht Club, and serving on the board of the Rotary Club of Pensacola Downtown. She regularly donates private dinners for charity auctions. But her proudest work, she says, isn’t on a plate, it’s at the table with her family.
“I’m a wife, I’m a mother, and then I’m a chef in that order,” she says. “I’m a big advocate for families sitting down together for dinner. Cooking together, eating together, it’s how values are passed on.” Her twins, now eleven, can both cook and set a proper table, lessons learned from a childhood steeped in tradition.
Laura’s commitment to authenticity is her signature. “I do authentic Italian food exactly the way mamma and nonna taught me, no twists, just simple, healthy, traditional dishes. Some food has been Americanized over time, but I prefer to stay with the authentic versions I grew up with.”
Her quest for authenticity extends across the Atlantic. Each summer, she leads small-group culinary tours to Italy that sell out in days. Guests stay in her hometown, cook in her parents’ farmhouse, and share meals with her family and their friends. “It’s not a tour,” she says. “It’s an experience. You see the Italy nobody else sees.”
One highlight: her mother inviting local friends, all retirees with time to spare and a love for food, to join the cooking classes. “It became the event of the town,” Laura says. “The Americans are coming! They sing, they laugh, they make pesto with basil from my parents’ greenhouse. People leave with tears in their eyes.”
Sailing is another part of Laura’s story and her heart. “My husband and I used to compete together in regattas in the Mediterranean Sea. Now, living in Pensacola by the water is perfect for us. We still spend as much time as we can on the water.”
When asked what she hopes to leave behind as a chef, a mother, and a citizen of two cultures, Laura doesn’t hesitate: “I want my kids to carry the values I’ve given them. No matter where you live, if you have strong values, you can be happy.”
It’s a philosophy as enduring as the meals she serves: simple, honest, rooted in tradition, and shared with love. In Conegliano or Pensacola, that’s what brings people to the table and keeps them coming back.
Set in the heart of Italy’s Veneto region, Conegliano is a jewel of timeless elegance and the storied gateway to Prosecco country. Winding medieval streets, Renaissance masterpieces, and a hilltop castle converge with its celebrated viticulture, creating a destination where history, artistry, and refined taste are savored in equal measure.
“The table is more than a place to eat, it’s where families grow stronger, friendships deepen, and life tastes better.”
“I cook exactly the way mamma and nonna taught me, no twists, no shortcuts. Just honest, simple, authentic Italian food made to be shared.”