© Philippa Langley

Olivia Cavalli is a chef, food stylist, writer and photographer from London. Born to an English father and Italian mother, Olivia grew up surrounded by Italian food and culture. She learnt how to cook from her Italian nonna, Albina, who taught her the art of using simple ingredients, repurposing leftovers and the importance of a home-cooked meal.

After graduating from Nottingham University, having written her dissertation on Italian cooking, it only seemed natural that she would work in the world of food.

Olivia began her career in food journalism at the Telegraph in 2015 where her recipes, writing and photographs were published in both print and online. It was here that she was introduced to food styling and she went on to assist on cookbooks, editorial and advertorial shoots.

In order to hone her craft as a cook, Olivia began working in restaurants in London (Carousel, Pophams and Social Pantry) and Italy (Villa Lena in Tuscany), whilst also travelling back and forth to Italy to film and photograph the wonderful women of Pasta Grannies and recipe test for the cookbook. Travelling across the country and meeting all the amazing nonni – who were more than willing to share their culinary secrets – encouraged Olivia to start jotting down the recipes of her childhood and those she had picked up along the way. All this inspired her to host a series of supper clubs and start giving Italian cooking lessons to share her food with others.

Olivia’s celebration of the beautiful vegetables and fruits of Italy’s seasons, STAGIONI, was published by Pavilion in the autumn of 2022.