Kristina Gill

The multifaceted Kristina Gill

Photographer, humanitarian consultant, journalist, author: Kristina Gill is a woman of many talents and tastes. She’s most recently been in the spotlight for her cookbook Tasting Rome, much of which was inspired by conversations she had with taxi drivers in the capital during her travels.

“Even the tiniest inspiration can spark big ideas. Kristina Gill’s work is the perfect example of this.”

From conversations she had by chance, she created a neatly catalogued book that contains stories, recipes and anecdotes about Roman gastronomic culture. But to understand who this eclectic food world personality really is, we need to go back to her origins. Kristina Gill is originally from Nashville, Tennessee. She has always been interested in culinary and food sustainability issues, so much so that she started writing about them on her blog Three Layer Cake in 2000.

Kristina Gill also writes about her own sources of culinary inspiration. She learned techniques and ways of using ingredients from the likes of Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater, but music has also influenced her creative flair. Perhaps even more so than music, she takes inspiration from podcasts, which she routinely listens to while preparing meals. One aspect that is never missing from Kristina’s recipes is the travel component. She calls it the best way to discover new ingredients, techniques or to simply enjoy a new experience.

“Cooking is what keeps her alive, a way of taking care of herself and others.”

The book Tasting Rome was a collaboration between Kristina and Katie Parla, a love letter to a city that they now call home. It’s a journey into the flavours of a cuisine that has origins in ancient times, that has been influenced by history, and above all by the availability of raw materials. The recipes are accompanied by Kristina’s wonderful photos, and are based on seasonality of ingredients, combinations of flavours and, of course, on what the Roman taxi drivers have shared with them.

Kristina Gill’s personal website is a photo gallery worthy of a museum. It is a book of images that tells not only her story, but also stories from her travels, the dishes she has tasted around the world and the people who have been part of her adventures. Now that she has found a place to feel at home, she says that Italy is a lucky country. Layers of culture have not overlapped, but have learned to coexist. What is missing in Rome? Her favourite club, Bolan in Bangkok.