"Carl and I are older adults who are getting ready to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. Since we got married, we have continued a practice we started during our courtship: cooking together on Sunday afternoons. Since I am a Southern gal and Carl is a second-generation Italian-American, he has taught me all about real Italian cooking.

"He's shared stories of waking up early in their Queens [New York] apartment to find his mother already simmering the pasta sauce -- or 'gravy' as the Italians call it -- and his grandmother rolling out the pasta dough. He's taught me that everything begins with olive oil and garlic simmering in a heavy skillet."

While some cooks may want to experiment with every new thing that comes along, Carl Giametta figured out long ago what was good and has stuck with it. Having grown up in an Italian household, he has yet to find anything better than the food that his mother and grandmother prepared. He also knows that food has a language all its own, and that cooking a meal together can do a lot to bridge differences, promote friendship and even kindle romance.

Family/background: "I'm married to Barbara. We live in Dunwoody with Buffy, our Shih Tzu, and Woody the cat."

Background: "I grew up in Queens as part of a big family. My mother had nine children in her family and my father also came from a family with nine children. Most of the relatives lived close by in Queens and Brooklyn. As far as food was concerned, Sunday was huge -- an incredible food day. We would eat all day long. Pasta would just be the beginning, followed by a whole other meal, which would then be followed by desserts, pastries, nuts and fruit. There would always be food on the table."

Career: "I own a dental laboratory, the Dental Works."

Hobbies, interests: "We are renovating our home, and that is taking up a lot of my time. I also exercise and run three times a week."

Who taught you to cook? "My mother taught me to cook and was also my inspiration in the kitchen. She was a first-generation Italian-American. Her parents were from northern Italy, and my father's parents were from Sicily. So my culinary roots are in very ethnic Italian cooking."

Early food memory: "As a young child, I remember waking up early on Sunday morning and seeing from my bedroom the gas flame on the kitchen stove burning because my mother had tomato sauce already simmering. She would let it simmer all day, filling the house with such a great aroma.

"I also remember my grandfather had a wine press that he brought over here from Italy. He would empty the trunk out of his 1955 Chevy, put racks on the top and take me to Brooklyn to get grapes. He would load up every inch of the car with grapes and bring them home to make wine. He would make wine for the whole winter."

How did your love of cooking develop? "I really started cooking on my own when I moved to Atlanta. I missed my mother's cooking, so I started calling her about two or three times a week. I would say, 'Ma, how do you make sauce?' or 'How do you make the meatballs?' That was around 1977 and it was impossible to get Italian food in Atlanta. Whenever I would go home for a visit, I would load up my suitcase with a couple of months' supply of cheeses, pastas, canned tomatoes, olive oil."

For whom do you cook? "My wife and close friends. I prefer small groups of no more than six."

What is the most enjoyable aspect of cooking? "Eating! That's why I run three times a week."

Specialties: "Lasagna. I cook it the old-fashioned way, beginning with meatballs that have simmered all day in sauce that you crumble up between the cheese layers."

Favorite thing to eat: "Probably homemade manicotti. It's got to be homemade. My mother had a special measuring spoon to mix just the right amount of flour and egg together to make manicotti that was light as a feather."

Culinary pet peeve: "Not being able to find top-quality ingredients in the supermarkets here. I usually have to shop the specialty grocery stores."

Do you favor a particular ingredient? "I love cooking with cheeses and favor the Polly-O brand."

Culinary ambitions: "I'd like to eat my way through Italy and sample all the different cuisines."

What is the magic ingredient that makes a great cook? "I think the secret to turning out great dishes is using only the highest quality of ingredients. If you cut corners on the quality, you are not going to get great flavor. I also think it's important to use fresh meat right from the butcher's shop."

Do you have a tip for today's cooks? "My mother taught me to let things slowly cook, whether it's your sauce or meatballs."

Favorite cookbook? "Although I have several Italian cookbooks, 'Father Orsini's Italian Kitchen' is my favorite."

If you could prepare a fantasy meal for anyone, who would it be and what would you cook? "I would like to get my whole family together. That would be more than 100 people. I would start out with an antipasto, then homemade lasagna or pasta with some sausage, meatballs and braciola on the side. Then we would have a roast of some kind with green beans with olive oil and garlic, some more vegetables with a nice salad and some good bread and wine."

-- Betty Parham

MAIN DISH

Father Orsini's Chicken Marsala

Makes 6 servingsPreparation time: 20 minutesCooking time: 35 minutes

Carl Giametta says: "I got this from the Father Orsini cookbook. I've been serving it for a good long time. It's a great dish for company." He likes to serve it over buttered pasta with asparagus in a cream sauce.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

6 boneless and skinless chicken breasts

6 thin slices prosciutto, cut to fit chicken breasts

6 thin slices mozzarella cheese, cut to fit chicken breasts

1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter, plus 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) butter, divided

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup Marsala wine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup minced fresh Italian parsley

On a plate, mix flour, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken breasts in flour mixture. Layer each chicken breast with 1 slice prosciutto and 1 slice mozzarella. Roll up jellyroll fashion and close ends with toothpicks.

In large skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter. Lightly brown chicken breasts on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate. Add chicken broth and wine to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, return chicken to skillet, cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until chicken breasts are tender.

Meanwhile, in another skillet, heat 1/3 cup butter, olive oil and garlic. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add parsley and sauté 3 minutes longer. Five minutes before the chicken is done, add mushroom mixture to chicken. Remove toothpicks before serving.

Per serving: 448 calories (percent of calories from fat, 58), 42 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 29 grams fat, 157 milligrams cholesterol, 696 milligrams sodium.

Who are the best cooks? We're looking for Georgia home cooks who deserve recognition for their talents and who have interesting recipes to share. Fax at 404-526-5509, e-mail kitchen@ajc.com or write to Betty Parham, Food Department, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303. Give us your name and phone number, as well as the name and number of the cook you'd like us to consider. And tell us a little about what makes this cook special.