Herb Club has celebrity speaker

Asking, “Do you like Italian food?” can be a silly question to ask most people. It’s almost always an enthusiastic, yes! This year you will want to be at the Hill Country Unit of the Herb Society of America’s 12th Annual Herb Celebration, with this year’s guest speaker is (momma mia!) Damian Mandola, founder of Damian’s Cucina Italiana and co-founder with his nephew of Carrabba’s Italian Grill.

Nephew Johnny and he also co-hosted a PBS show “Cucina Amore.” Wait, there’s more. With over forty years of cooking knowledge, he is well versed in herbs and their needed additions to Italian recipes. Damian is an expert in using herbs in his recipes and is has wonderful insight as he speaks at the club’s 2019 Italian Herbfest.

Besides the wonderful recipes from his family, Damian has been visiting and acquiring recipes throughout Italy and the United States for the past 40 years, and is always searching for unique Italian dishes. Currently you might find him greeting guests at the local restaurant Trattoria Lisina in Driftwood.

The mission statement of the Herb Society of America is to “promote the knowledge, use and delight of herbs through educational programs, research and sharing the experience of its members with the community.

They are committed “to protecting our global environment for the health and well- being of humankind and all growing things. We encourage gardeners to practice environmentally sound horticulture.”

Admission to this year’s 12th Annual Herbfest will be $25 and held November 1 at the Chapel of the Hills, 14601 Ranch Road 12, starting at 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. For more information and reservations see at hillcountryherbs.org . Phone (713) 806-6334 or email at [email protected].