About Amelia

Ciao! My name is Amelia Pane Schaffner. 

I live to think and do creatively, in a global playground, constantly stretching both left and right side of the brain: both a poet and a quant. I am a Geneva-born Italian, who grew up between Sorrento, Rome, and London. I have lived the last 20 years in Atlanta, USA, but will be soon returning to Europe. First stop: Finland! 

I have been refining my culture, curiosity, and creative passions ever since I can remember. 

Find my “left brain” doing at: Partners — Lexicon Strategies and my "right brain" musings at @z.tasty.life on Instagram

I write about trying to stay true to my Italian and classical cultural roots while living globally. I am an avid reader and researcher and write merely out of passion and extreme curiosity. I can read and translate in two dead languages (Greek, Latin) and multiple living languages (Italian, French, German, English), especially poetry and philosophy.

In 2008, I received a culinary arts certificate at a local university, I have taught classes privately, written articles for magazines such as Edible Atlanta, presented on conference panels, and appeared on local TV cooking segments at WXIA/Channel 11. 

I aspire to share my passions in a book one day, following in my parents’ footsteps: Mariano and Rita Pane, who have written multiple books, most famously Tastes of the Southern Italy (“I Sapori del Sud”), which was published by Rizzoli in 1991 and subsequently reprinted numerous times in their BUR edition.

My other life passions include philosophy, poetry, photography (if you click the photography menu above you can see a small sampling), the visual arts, travelling, and the outdoors. I have two teenage boys and a husband, who is American. My family of origin lives in Italy, where I visit as often as I can, and plan to move in the near future.

P.s. In my "do" life, currently, I am a strategy and innovation partner at Lexicon Strategies where I help clients solve meaningful problems. Previously, I co-founded the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Emory University. And before then, I was a strategy principal at Accenture, consulting services firm, where I led global initiatives from culture change to innovation. I am an accomplished educator and a summa cum laude graduate of LUISS University, Rome, Italy.