Mary Contini grew up with her seven brothers and sisters in a house on top of her father’s ice cream and fish and chip shop just outside Edinburgh. Mary has been a director of the famous Italian delicatessen Valvona & Crolla since 1983, and she has written a number of best selling books on the subject of food. In 2011 Mary was awarded the title ‘Cavaliere’ by the Republic of Italy (the equivalent to a British OBE) for her services to the promotion of Italian food and history of Italians. In 2015, she received a Life Time Achievement Award by the Scottish Italian Awards for her valuable contribution to Scottish cuisine.