Toni Piccinini is the original owner and creator of Mescolanza, a San Francisco trattoria, that has been hailed by Michael Bauer, Food and Wine editor of The San Francisco Chronicle, as one of the Top Ten Bay Area Italian Restaurants and selected as one the Chronicle's Annual Top 100 Restaurants.

Since 2004, Toni has taught Italian cooking classes and has offered private cooking class parties. She has partnered with local wine maker, Paul Kreider, of San Anselmo Winery to create winemaker dinners featuring local, seasonal foods that complement the locally produced wines. Toni has appeared on KRON's Bay Café with Joey Altman featuring recipes from La Cucina Semplice. Toni's food writing and award winning recipes have been featured in local and national publications.

Giving back: Since the creation of La Cucina Semplice, Toni has been active in generously giving cooking classes to the fundraising arm of several community causes such as Adopt-A-Family and Sunny Hills. In support of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) Toni has donated her expertise to a series of "farm to table cooking classes" that feature dishes using just-picked organic farm produce.

Toni's food philosophy might be summed up as follows: Food marks the seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives, connecting us to the land and to each other. We celebrate life every day with the love we put into our cooking. The joy we give, and receive, when we offer our culinary industry to our loved ones is an elemental connection that we share with humankind.