Annalisa Pompeo, the founder of GoSicily Sicilian Cooking Experience, is a force of nature. When you arrive in Favara, her hometown outside of Agrigento, she’ll greet you with a knowing smile and a recipe up her sleeve. When I say recipe, I am not only talking about one meant to make a delectable Sicilian dish, but also one that is a combination of interactions, stories, and creative ideas that will make your food experience with her remarkable. Annalisa brings passion to all that she does, and it’s contagious. Proof of concept, she was just awarded first prize recognizing her as Sicily’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year during the third edition of “Impresa è donna,” presented by the Gruppo Terziario Donna Confcommerico Catania. It’s a significant honor, and one that is so well-deserved.

During a very difficult year and a half for us tourism professionals, Annalisa, from the start, was resourceful, industrious, and inspired. She immediately moved into teaching entertaining and engaging online courses and then created an interactive cooking box, establishing herself as an exporter of not only Sicilian culture, which she’d been doing for eight years already, but also of Sicilian artisanal products. Her determination is astounding.

Since 2015, Annalisa has hosted our Experience Sicily clients both in Sicily and here in the United States, where, since 2016, we’ve presented everything from hands-on cooking classes and cooking demonstrations to olive oil tastings and “Evenings in Sicily” parties. This past year, during my darkest days, she lifted me up and coached me to stay positive–when it was just as challenging for her.

This recent recognition confirms more broadly what so many of us have been blessed to already know. Annalisa will charm you and delight you during your time with her. When you meet her, if you haven’t yet fallen in love with Sicily, she will make sure that you do.