Originally published in the Black Diamond Bulletin, Spring 2013
By Ken Jensen
Dana Batali, Leonetta Merlino Batali, Mario Batali, and Armandino Batali. Leonetta passed away in 1994. (Photo courtesy of Armandino Batali.)
Mario Batali, celebrated chef, writer, restaurateur, and media personality, was born in Seattle in 1960, one of Armandino and Marilyn Batali’s three children. But did you know that his grandmother, Leonetta Merlino—perhaps the one person who most influenced his cooking—was born right here in Black Diamond in 1902? (more…)
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