Benvenuti!
The Ainsworth’s: Bonnie, Mark Luciano, John Luciano & Archie
About Us
Welcome to Eat Sunday Supper—a culinary journey where Italian heritage meets the vibrant flavors and easygoing spirit of California. We’re the Ainsworth family: Mark Luciano Ainsworth, Bonnie Ainsworth, and our son, John Luciano Ainsworth. Together, we invite you to join us in celebrating food, family, and the magic of gathering around the table.
Our Roots
Our story is deeply rooted in two beautiful regions of Italy. Mark’s family hails from Castelvetere in Val Fortore, a charming hilltop village in Campania. Visiting Castelvetere is an adventure—imagine hours of driving through olive groves, then winding up a mountain road to a surprisingly modern and adorable hilltop town. Mark’s great-grandmother, Michelina Constance Pompeo, was from Tufara in Molise. There’s a beloved family joke: Mark’s mom, John’s Nonna Cheryl Constance, used to ask her grandmother why she never returned to visit her hometown. The answer was always, with a smile, “It’s Tufara to go!” (Too far to go!) After making that journey ourselves, we understand the joke on a whole new level—it’s hard to imagine how she made her way from Tufara to Napoli and then all the way to America.
Both Mark and John are proud dual citizens of the USA and Italy, deepening our connection to the old world and its cherished traditions.
Michelina Pompeo & Nicola Maria Luciano
Meet the Family
Mark brings a unique blend of culinary passion and business leadership to our table. As a former Executive Pastry Chef at Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Pebble Beach, he’s dedicated his career to crafting memorable food experiences. Mark went on to found and lead an Organic and Humane Certified bakery manufacturing company, and in 2018, co-founded a business he took public—serving as CEO and guiding its growth. Today, Mark is an Executive Consultant, advising on strategy, leadership, business processes, CPG product development, and brand management—always with food, family, and Italian culture at the heart of his work.
Bonnie is the lifeblood of our family—the one who keeps us boys on track and brings warmth to every corner of our lives. After earning her Marketing degree from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, she found her calling in specialty food distribution. Bonnie has spent her career sourcing unique, high-quality products for chefs across the West Coast, with a special love for importing Italian treasures and building lasting relationships with Italian producers. She’s also our resident gardener, happiest with her hands in the soil. Most weekends, you’ll find her in our garden, tending to the herbs, vegetables, and flowers that inspire so many of our recipes and Sunday Suppers.
John is our spirited seven-year-old and the heart of our adventures. He attends La Scuola, an Italian immersion school in Silicon Valley, and already treasures memories from our travels in Italy—especially the friends, flavors, and little discoveries along the way. John’s honest “dish ratings” (thumbs up, sideways, or down) add a dash of fun and authenticity to everything we cook and share.
Our Mission
Eat Sunday Supper began as a way to imagine the Sunday suppers we might have shared with Mark’s great-grandparents, Nicola Maria Luciano (from Castelvetere in Val Fortore, Campania) and Michelina Constance Pompeo (from Tufara, Molise). Today, our mission is to celebrate Italian culture through heartfelt storytelling, beautiful photography, approachable recipes, and authentic travel experiences—capturing the essence of family, heritage, and the simple joy of gathering together.
We love sharing the charming hotels, agriturismos, and dining destinations we discover, and we’re passionate about passing on the cherished dishes and traditions that have become the heart of our own Sunday Suppers and holiday gatherings. But more than anything, we hope to inspire you to get off the beaten path, slow down, and savor the beauty of traditions and simpler times. Our greatest wish is to encourage more families to come together, create their own memories, and start traditions that can be passed down for generations.
Whether you’re here for recipes, gardening tips, travel inspiration, or just a taste of “la dolce vita,” we hope Eat Sunday Supper sparks your curiosity and brings a little extra joy to your table. Feel free to leave a comment or connect with us on social media—we’d love to have you join our family table.