About

Posted by Rowena Dumlao Rowena Dumlao - Giardina

About

The years have passed in Apron and Sneakers from the time I started it in 2011 when I first shared the recipes, photos and stories through my kitchen and travels. I started this blog as a journal recounting the recipes I learned from my husband's Sicilian family, the food I ate and travel stories and photos that I collected as I went around Italy and the rest of Europe. I had a lot to say from a foreigner's point of view because I moved to Italy from the Philippines in 1999.

In the span of twenty five years of writing, I also learned how to photograph and cook better. In 2017, I became a certified sommelier with Associazione Italiana Sommelier. I took more wine courses such as the French Wine Scholar of Wine Scholar Guild in Avignon, France. In 2022, I attended the course on Langhe Wines Ambassador course at the Barolo & Barbaresco Academy in Piedmont, Italy. In 2024, I took the Terroir and Vineyard Management course at Bordeaux Agro Sciences in Bordeaux, France. My blogging developed full-time in taking on different projects and events related to food and travel. I have also photographed and written about hotels and restaurants. I specialize in recipe development and you can find my recipes at She Knows, Skinny Ms., Thanksgiving, Ibalsamic and other websites. I write articles about food (restaurants and food products), wine (wineries and events) and travel (hotels and places) and you can find them at Mode and A Luxury Travel Blog, Honest Cooking Magazine and China Wine News.

I photographed and co-wrote The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes Around the Globe with Agate Publishing. Currently and I am currently a contributing writer for China Wine News and Honest Cooking Online Magazine.

On Apron and Sneakers' 7th year anniversary, I created another site called The Chosen Table. The site is a restaurant, winery and hotel online travel guide in Italy and Europe. I hope you can check it out too.

Thank you for being supportive all these years!