Carina Contini
Born in 1970 in Cockenzie, East Lothian, Carina Contini is a third-generation Italian Scot. Her grandparents, Cesidio and Marietta Di Ciacca, migrated from Picinisco to Scotland in the early 20th century and settled in Cockenzie, east of Edinburgh, where they established their own shop. Food has always been the trait d’union connecting the Contini family with the Scottish people. Carina’s fondest memories of her grandparents and Italy revolve around the traditional, simple, and genuine flavours of the Comino Valley cuisine her grandmother prepared. Today, Carina and her husband, Victor, are local celebrities in Edinburgh’s culinary scene. Carina’s profound connection to food is further expressed in her two cookbooks: Kitchen Garden Cookbook: A Year of Italian (2014) and The Contini Cookbook (2024).