Our person of the month is photographer Terry Sanders. He loves Italy and lived there for a while. Terry loves Italian food and speaks fluently Italian. He is an American artist and an incredibly talented photographer that had Italy in his heart since he was young. Today New York is the city he calls home, but he is from Texas. Terry is the kind of person who doesn't know what compromise is; he does only what he is passionate about. Especially with photography. He is terrific at capturing every person's and place's essence. He loves going around the city to find the best things to shoot.
In your own words, how will you describe yourself?
An ex-ex-patriot now living in New York City. Italy and Italians are an integral component of my daily life. I am a visual creative devoted to growth in all matters, personal and professional.
As an American, what do you think is the dish that best tells the essence of Italianness?
As an American? I can't speak for Americans who have a casual relationship with Italy but suspect that the one dish which every single person associates with Italy is pizza.
What is the Italian dish you love the most and why?
There can be no "favorite over all others" for me; the selection is far too vast. Among my most favored dishes are spaghetti con nero di seppia (when properly prepared). It combines the land and the sea in an unmistakable way, and pesce spada della Sicilia.
Is there, in your opinion, an Italian dish that Americans still don't know well?
Pasta con nero di seppia is also, in fact, very little known in the U.S. and very rarely offered. The seppia here is, so far, not fresh, therefore, bland and tasteless. The freshness issue is, unfortunately, the case frequently in Italy and can occur even in Sicily. The quality of the ingredients and the investment of time is the core "secret" of great Italian cuisine.
