Angela Baldanza lives in Pound Ridge, New York and has run Baldanza in New Canaan
with her family for the past 10-years. The Family has a second restaurant in Darien. Angela is active in the community and is now a Chamber Board Member. Angela and her team will be hosting the Chamber’s Annual Breakfast With The First Selectman on March 31st
Angela is a self-taught, instinctive cook who
excels at creating organic soups and dishes, fresh salads and baked goods. Angela believes she
inherited her skills from her grandfather and brother, who were both chefs. With family from
Genoa in Northern Italy and down South to Calabria, she was locked in to family traditions, such
as the dried mushrooms arriving from Italy in a cheese cloth sack, allowing her Grandmother to
make yellow rice (risotto flavored with saffron).
Her colorful dishes are drawn by influences from her 27 years of working in the fashion
industry, where she would pull apart her work by color, texture, and pattern. Her mantra is
“food is the new fashion” and this synergy is further displayed by her careful balance of colors
and textures on the plate – encouraging her audience to eat with their eyes.
Angela is a regular on local TV cooking spots and very comfortable in front of the camera. She
credits that to her experience in fashion – at the top of her career she was an Executive VP
Merchandising for the Jones Apparel Group.
The Baldanza family share a passion for creating all-natural, delicious meals for the discerning
diner. Baldanza is run by Angela, husband Sandy and son Alex. Her two other children – Bobby
and Gabriella are also foodies but are following their own creative path for the time being.
Winning Food Network Cooks vs Cons ‘Tis the Seasoning’ in November 2016 reinforced that
leaving one successful career for another was the right thing to do. The hugely popular culinary
competition, hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian, sees talented home-cooks go up against kitchen
professionals. Culminating in a blind taste test, to prove who has the best dish. Angela
remained focused and calm and won the prize with her rack of lamb dish, followed by a French
toast and caramelized apple dish. She dedicated her win to her brother Anthony who sadly
passed.
What does 2020 hold? Angela says: “My mentor has always been Ina Garten. I idolize her and
respect how she has built up her brand. This win was so exciting giving our brand more
exposure. My goal going forward is to host regular events at the restaurant and roll out
Baldanza wholesale soups and chili. We will continue to produce simple recipes using good
clean food from sustainable resources.”