Park Slope
“I always wanted to cook Italian specialities, but I didn’t have professional training,” said Jill Billante-Vitagliano. Being of German and Italian descent, Jill’s culinary capabilities tended to lean to the German side, so when she met and married Brian — six years this past Saturday — she longed to make those big Italian meals that the couple enjoyed on the holidays, that had been prepared by Brian’s cousins James and Marianne Vilardi and Cecilia Candreva.
When Jill heard that chef Emeril Lagasse was scouting for guests for his new show, “Emeril’s Table,” which premiered on the Hallmark Channel on Sept. 26, she sent in a letter.
“Emeril was great, the set was cool, even the outdoor garden,” said husband Brian. “There we were, it’s 9 am and we’re making ravioli and drinking wine.”
