About The Frugal Italian

Hi, I’m Stephany — some of you might know me as a long-time entrepreneur and lover of all things Italian and edible. But before anything else, I’m a proud fur mum and a second-generation Canadian, born and raised in Montreal, Quebec.

As a child and throughout my adolescence, I had the privilege of spending countless summers with my grandparents in their hilltop village in Calabria, at the southern tip of Italy. When I think back to those days in my grandparents’ kitchen — the way meals were prepared with simplicity, love, and whatever ingredients were on hand — I wish I could teleport back.

How was the thought of breakfast made of warm bread smothered in extra virgin olive oil so damn exciting?

Those summers taught me that great food doesn’t come from fancy ingredients or complicated techniques — it comes from respect. Respect for the land, for the season, for what you already have in your pantry. My grandparents didn’t call it sustainability; they just called it common sense.

Fast forward a few decades and a few entrepreneurial adventures later, I realized that this way of thinking — cooking with care, wasting less, celebrating simplicity — had quietly shaped how I live and eat today. And that’s how The Frugal Italian was born.

This space is my love letter to Italian food and to the philosophy that less really can be more. Here you’ll find recipes, stories, and kitchen wisdom inspired by the everyday Italians who turn humble ingredients into something extraordinary — and maybe, a reminder that a drizzle of olive oil and a piece of warm bread can still feel like magic.