This Italian Cooking Show Has Aired For Over 30 Years - And It's Not On Food Network

If you don't know the name Mary Ann Esposito, your Italian cooking skills are likely lacking. She's a chef, author of 14 cookbooks, and the showrunner behind "Ciao Italia," America's longest-running cooking show on public television. Food Network and The Cooking Channel often dominate our screens when it comes to food media, but we can't forget about public broadcasting. PBS is behind Esposito's nationally televised series. The show's premise is simple and hasn't shifted in its 30 years — Esposito bounces between the United States and Italy for inspiration, then sources whatever is needed for that episode's themed dishes. The recipes can always be prepared within the length of an episode, a quick 30 minutes. 

As much as we all adore Sunday gravy, Esposito focuses on modern takes of more overlooked yet must-try regional Italian dishes, like bagna cauda and vitello tonato. Esposito is always thrilled to share new recipes with her viewers. "With 20 regions of Italy, the food is very different from region to region," she points out to Yankee Magazine. Picking favorite episodes of "Ciao Italia" is a feat, given the decades of incredible cooking lessons and charm, but some notable moments include a 2013 lesson on homemade ricotta, a Neapolitan rice pie (or pastiera) recipe from Season 20, a more recent Sicilian supper of roast pork loin and chocolate spice cookies, and slow-cooked tuna steaks with legendary chef Jacques Pépin.

Esposito's two grandmothers — one Sicilian and the other Neapolitan — were professional chefs who moved to the United States. in the 1890s. Growing up surrounded by the smell of homemade bread and all-day ragùs, she became enamored with regional Italian cuisine at a young age, but she never envisioned her future in the culinary arts. In the beginning, Esposito didn't expect the show to turn into what it has. She simply wanted to show people that Italian food was more than just spaghetti and meatballs. She originally pitched a 13-part series on regional Italian food, but PBS had bigger plans. She put together a proposal for a small local show, and 30 years later, here we are. 

Cynthia Fenneman, former executive producer of "Ciao Italia," gave Esposito's magnetism a great deal of credit for the show's early success. "She creates an emotional connection to food for people and makes it very clear how to be a success in the kitchen, even if you're not of Italian-American descent," she told UNH Magazine back in 1991. Each episode originally had 20 volunteers working on the show, and Esposito always prioritized the kitchen crew's comfort when considering the next recipe to tackle.

Unfortunately, it can be easy to forget about even the most talented celebrity chefs if they're not plastered on every other advertisement to pass by on our screens. Esposito has managed to live somewhat under the radar while hosting "Ciao Italia" since 1989. Nothing even comes close to Esposito's on-screen record of 30 years and counting. "The Essence of Emeril" first aired on Food Network in the mid-90s, and "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" came on the scene in 2006, but to this day, nothing outlives "Ciao Italia." 

There were so many creative food-centered bingeable shows in 2025, but more traditional cooking shows that offer step-by-step instructions with patience and charisma still have their place. She lives in New Hampshire now, but still regularly puts out new episodes of "Ciao Italia." If you have a few decades-worth of episodes to catch up on, Mary has nearly all her recipes from all 30 seasons of here show archived on her website.