Claudine Stowe grew up in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, during the 60’s and 70’s with two brothers and one sister. When her father passed away suddenly, she began cooking for her family at a very young age.

These skills came in handy when she married the love of her life, Jim Destino, in 1970, and became increasingly important with the birth of each of their three children: Alex, Chris and Lindsey.

During the more than 30 years she has spent cooking for family and friends, Destino has experimented with a variety of different cooking styles. In this time, she has developed her own distinctive brand of shortcuts and tips, and began writing her cookbook in order to “revive fun and leisure in the kitchen.”

Released in October (2003), Confessions of a Kitchen Diva is a compilation of more than 250 easy, yet elegant recipes. The 352-page cookbook also shares “Diva Tips” and entertaining, organizational and party-planning ideas peppered with a splash of humor.

Currently, Destino is a caterer, personal chef and cooking class instructor. She has made guest appearances on TV’s Food Network as well as national and regional shows.

Always in perpetual motion and filled with ideas, Destino is already considering a second book, Cooking for One or Two. She is an avid gardener, tennis player, and painter; and, whenever possible, she travels to Italy in search of…(new sights, new smells and new tastes).

She lives with her family in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.