My name is Zara Saffron, and my journey from the sun-drenched hills of Tuscany to the bustling farmers’ markets of Portland, Oregon has been anything but ordinary. I was raised in a small Italian village where my parents owned a cozy trattoria. Every morning before school, I helped knead dough for focaccia, and by evening, I was stirring pots of minestrone taller than me. Food wasn’t just sustenance in our home—it was ritual, celebration, and the language of love. I never thought I’d leave that little corner of Italy, but life has a funny way of pushing us toward new flavors, new places, and new people.
