Biba Caggiano was born and raised in Italy's gastronomical capital, Bologna. She grew up cooking the food of her native Emilia- Romagna region. In 1960 she moved to New York, the hometown of her American-born husband, Vincent. There Ms. Caggiano found a job at a major Italian bank, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, where she stayed until the arrival of her first child. During those first years of living in New York City, she made an effort to recreate the everyday meals that her mother used to make, striving to make food an integral part of her new family life.

In 1969, the family moved to Sacramento, California, where her husband joined a medical practice. At that time Sacramento was a pleasant laid-back city, however it lacked restaurant diversity, especially those serving quality Italian food. Thus, if Ms. Caggiano wanted authentic Italian food she had to make it herself.

After a couple of years of making simple and elaborate meals for family and friends, she was asked to teach a series of cooking classes at a newly opened cooking school in Sacramento. The classes were a huge success and Ms. Caggiano found herself with a brand new "career." Over the last 35 years, this new career has taken her with numerous study tours throughout various Italian regions, where she has enhanced her knowledge about the diversity of culinary traditions.

Ms. Caggiano has published seven best-selling cookbooks, which combined, have sold more than 600.000 copies. A new book will be released in 2005. She has hosted one hundred episodes of her internationally syndicated cooking show Biba's Italian Kitchen, on the TLC and Discovery Channel. Currently, in the United States, the shows are seen on the Discovery Home and Leisure Channel, as well as in Asia, South America, Canada and Australia.

In 1986, Ms. Caggiano opened BIBA restaurant. Since then, the restaurant has received glowing reviews with Gourmet Magazine, Travel and Leisure, Conde' Nast Travelers and the Wine Spectator. Sacramento Magazine Readers Choice Dining Awards and the Sacramento Bee voted BIBA Sacramento best restaurant eight years in a row. BIBA has been a DIRONA Award recipient for the past seven years.

In 1998 Ms. Caggiano was chosen as one of the six national recipients of the prestigious Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence. In 1999, The Governor of California and the California Travel Industry selected her as Northern California Chef of the Year.

Ms. Caggiano lives in Sacramento, California with her husband. She has two married daughters and three grandchildren. She can be found daily at her well known restaurant.


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