MICHELLE LEE FREEBORN

RECIPE DEVELOPMENT - FOOD STYLING - PHOTOGRAPHY

About me

Michelle Freeborn Caggiano, a northern California native, chose to study abroad in Italy in her areas of interest (art and design) and while there met her Italian husbands-to-be.
Michelle and her husband Paolo chose to stay and raise their children in his native Tuscany, where Michelle’s early love of cooking turned into a full blown passion as she learned to cook with the native Tuscan housewives of the area.
She once served as the private chef for a local aristocrat where she surprised the Italian women daily with her impressively accurate interpretations of traditional Tuscan cuisine.

Let's talk

I'm not a robot

"Capturing the moments of today that will wow your heart tomorrow"

Step by Step

"I like to create food that stimulates a rediscovery of the traditions and values of the Italian countryside. These values and traditions include spending time with family and friends around the table, preparing and consuming food, and drink, and enjoying the many pleasures that come from these simple daily events in the home"

Product development

Michelle has design in her blood having grown up working in her family’s furniture business at the San Francisco furniture mart. She later built her career in housewares upon this passion, traveling extensively throughout out Europe, India, and Asia, responsible for all aspects from design to prototype, quality control, liaison with manufacturers and suppliers, and all legal and logistical aspects of import-export. With over 25 years of experience in creating and buying custom pieces produced by experienced artisans in the industry, Michelle stays on the cutting edge by attending yearly international shows. A graduate of art history and fashion, she has an eye for seeking out whats beautiful, what will sell and most importantly what best reflects her love for time-honored hand-crafted products made from high quality manufacturing methods from around the world.