Marianne Belardi

Raised on the proverb “Pay the farmer, or pay the doctor,” Marianne’s earliest years were spent gardening with her Sicilian immigrant grandparents, learning to see food as sustenance, nature’s medicine and an expression of love. Growing up in a house of 13 meant dining table conversation often included planning the next meal. She threw her first dinner party at age 10!

After receiving a BA from Hofstra University, a stay in Arizona derailed a planned police career in her native Long Island and transplanted her to the desert. Her decades of food & beverage experience runs the gamut: mom & pop Italian, 1950’s themed diner, hotel/golf club dining rooms, bakery/cafe, retail grocery/wine markets; coffee bar/gelateria; ice cream truck; catering; private events; and everything from Chef to PR/Marketing for a local restaurant group. Through work and food world connections, Marianne has enjoyed volunteering with nonprofits including C-CAP Arizona, Blue Watermelon Project, Local First Arizona, St. Mary’s Food Bank, and the American Liver Foundation.

Marianne became a member of LDEI in 2009, the same year she and a grandniece were diagnosed with gluten intolerance as an auto-immune/psoriasis trigger. Great Auntie Mari dusted off her Mom’s Adele Davis books, and devoured new works about modern food production, hybridized grains, and animal welfare. Working at Scottsdale’s veggie-centric Restaurant FnB inspired her return to the plant-focused Mediterranean dishes of her childhood, and to heightened mindfulness around purchasing/eating. 

Since 2018, Marianne has been a Global Accounts Manager for Helms Briscoe, a Scottsdale-based location sourcing company. During the pandemic hit, she joined a ‘family bubble’ as a Respite Caregiver for Autism Spectrum/ADD clients, and worked part-time at local plant nursery Vilardi Gardens. While meeting & conference planning continues to rebound, she is also keeping herself busy on the editorial team at Edible Phoenix magazine.  

Marianne… is @ciao_mari on Instagram; has 20 nieces/nephews, ages one to 47; practices meditation & yoga; is fanatical about recycling & repurposing; gets her animal fix by pet-sitting; has studied piano, flute, six foreign languages, and is eternally curious about nearly everything. (Next up: ASL and tap dancing!)