Chef Cathy Whims of Nostrana

Six-Time James Beard Finalist, Cathy Whims, of Portland's Nostrana, on her new book.

Welcome back to Pizza Quest!

This week we welcome six-time James Beard Award finalist, Chef Cathy Whims, owner of Portland's beloved restaurant, Nostrana. which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. I first met Cathy when she was the chef and co-owner of Portland's celebrated fine dining Italian restaurant Genoa, where I enjoyed a memorable six-course tasting menu along with the famous bread book author, Carol Field (The Italian Baker). That was over 25 years ago. Genoa closed a few years later, and Nostrana emerged, but it’s quite different from Genoa, serving wonderful rustic Italian food and Neapolitan pizzas to its large and loyal following. This month also marks the publication of Cathy's first book,The Italian Summer Kitchen, full of wonderful, easy-to-make recipes as well as the stories behind them.

I felt like we were all so young when we first met (and Cathy is still far younger than I), but now it feels like we're like the surviving old timers. I remember reading the sobering news when Carol Field passed away eight years ago -- she was an esteemed mentor to many of us, and now we've inherited that same mentorship mantle for the next generation, which is why Cathy's new book is so important. We'll hear all about her long journey from Chapel Hill, NC on her way to becoming hailed, as one writer called her, the unofficial Doyenne of Italian cooking for the Pacific Northwest. It's all here in this week's edition of Pizza Quest.

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