Introduction
American-born and Italian-raised, Eleonora Baldwin is a writer, food expert, media personality, and culinary travel specialist based in Rome, where she lives and works. After a successful career in the international film industry, she transitioned into writing, focusing on food, travel, and Italian culture. She is the co-founder of Casa Mia Tours, a boutique agency offering private culinary adventures and multi-day vacations with a focus on food, wine, and cultural immersion for international travelers. Her work explores the intersection of food, storytelling, and cultural identity.
Experience
Eleonora is a contributor to publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, and Gambero Rosso, Italy's leading food and wine media group, where she also works as a TV host, content creator and co-author of several television programs, including Cheese Hunters, ABCheese, Uazz'America, and A Tavola con Mamma, and the author and host of the podcast iCheese.
Multilingual, she works fluently in Italian and English, with working knowledge of French and Spanish, allowing her to engage with a broad international audience. Between blog readers, newsletter subscribers, and social media followers, Eleonora reaches an engaged online audience of over 190,000 people across more than 100 countries.
Education
Eleonora holds a degree in graphic design from Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome and has completed the Harvard University online module Tangible Things: Discovering History Through Artworks, Artifacts, and Scientific Specimens.
She participated in the STORY seminar in London with Robert McKee, an internationally renowned program in screenwriting and storytelling.
She serves as a juror for prestigious cheese competitions, including the Italian Cheese Awards, Gran Premio del Formaggiaio, Alma Caseus, Palio del Burro e del Formaggio. She is an honorary member of the Rome chapter of ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori di Formaggio). And has been knighted as Compagnon d'Honneur by the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers - Confrerie de Saint Uguzon.
Philanthropy & Additional Work
Eleonora regularly serves as a translator and language support specialist for Sextantio, a philanthropic initiative dedicated to preserving historic mountain villages in Italy through sustainable hospitality models. The organization also supports charitable initiatives abroad, including providing free healthcare services in Rwanda through fundraising and donations.
Fun Fact
Through her work in culinary travel, Eleonora has gone behind the scenes in some of Italy's most celebrated kitchens, interviewing renowned chefs and documenting food traditions, from Michelin-starred restaurants to remote rural communities, often acting as a cultural bridge between international travelers and local culinary heritage.
Guest Speaker
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, University of Massachusetts Boston (online faculty)
Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Communication and Social Research (guest lecturer)
Wake Forest University, Travel Writing Program (guest speaker)
The Borromini Institute, Rome (guest speaker)
