Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosaria Cammarata.
Hi Rosaria , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started young—my mom left $20 a day to cook with and a Woman’s Day encyclopedia set, leading to my first creation: flounder with floating grapes. My father’s face was pure, unadulterated “WTF?!”
Almost instantly, writing became my escape while growing up.
Journalism brought me halfway through college, but a backpack to LA pulled me to culinary school which led to 30 years in the industry running hotel kitchens, clubs and dining rooms Raising my two sons solo gave me my biggest cheerleaders and best friends for life. Now, that battlefield and executive experience gives me some right to write about something. So I happily added BeachSide Magazine to our workday.
It hasn’t been easy, I have staked a lot, it is grassroots. The feedback though on any of the magazines we have put on the streets has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive.
Combining my love for food, writing, and community has become the pipe dream that has arrived.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Everyone has their own struggles, challenges, or obstacles. My biggest obstacle—one that still follows me today—is my relentless drive to push far past my limits, often to the breaking point.
When you’ve spent nights watching your young sons sleep in a restaurant inventory room on 50-pound sacks of flour and sugar, in order to close down a kitchen, failure simply isn’t an option. I spent decades grinding through the heat, long hours, and sacrifices to build a better life for them and hopefully myself. Pushing past every barrier was my way of showing my boys that every sacrifice they made was noticed, every effort mattered, and that giving up was never on my menu.
Even through the struggles, I did my best to hide fear, exhaustion, while showcasing what is important in life. Love, following your dreams, and enjoying the time to gather together.
As you know, we’re big fans of T.C.C.C. Enterprises. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At T.C.C.C. Enterprises, we run three distinct divisions:
This Chick Can Cook: Catering and chef services.
Chef Rosaria: Operational consulting and project management.
Beachside Magazine: a new publishing venture
.The Spirit Behind the Brand:
Years ago, during an expansion of my business, a long time client and friend commissioned a local artist to create a custom piece with my logo and asked: “Do you want a starfish or an octopus?”
I love starfish, but I’ve always known the octopus is my spirit animal. So tough call.
Still, A starfish only has five points, while an octopus has eight legs. Why limit myself to five points when I can reach with eight? So I went with a custom piece by Scotie Cousin. The octopus sits proudly in my home office.
That mindset drives everything across our brand: from catering corporate events, small private celebrations, to our new publication partnerships and being of service to the community.
It’s not just about professionalism to me. It is just part of living a grateful life and standing with my belief system.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up a seriously curious hellraiser—too smart for my own good, yet not quite smart enough to realize I didn’t have to pretend to be clueless. Growing up between the Sicilian and American cultures I picked and chose. Sometimes my choices didn’t work for either.
Jumping off cliffs by day sneaking out to sleep on boats by nights, and other times hiding in the attic or cooking for my family. While I thought I was being aimless, others thought I just walking around life like I opened the place.
Between my two younger brothers shaping my childhood and teenage years.
Note to self* I still have a scar from a curtain rod my brother Pete stuck through my forehead playing superheros.
Later a sprinkle of couch-surfing from East to West Coast and paying my dues. I never really got to live a normal American childhood.
Now, I’m a woman raised by two brothers who revisited a childhood by raising two sons. So yeah, both my childhoods were strictly Matchbox cars, transformers, football, and knives. And lots of food. Really good food.
And sometimes the occasional visit to the hospital for stitches.
I was an adventurous, adventurous, adventurous nerd.
I still am. Mostly, ok. Sort of.
Pricing:
- Catering- depends on services provided
- Consulting- by hour or project
- Magazine advertising – all is fair in love and war
- Grassroot projects- highly competitive
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Thischickcancook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chef_rosaria
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rosaria.cammarata.2025
- Other: chefrosaria@gmail.com
