Silvana trained as a chef at the High Peak College in Buxton and then went on to finish her studies with a degree in Home Economy from the Southbank University. During her time as a student she wrote her first book - The Really Useful Student Cookbook. In her early career she wrote and edited for BBC Vegetarian Good Food, BBC Good Food and Girltalk for BBC Worldwide before a move to M&S Magazine as Food Editor.

Her food connections naturally took her into television, on and off-screen. As food stylist her credits include Can’t Cook Won’t Cook, Ainsley’s Meals in Minutes, Ainsley’s Big Cook Out, Gourmet Express and Friends For Dinner and for NBC, The Ainsley Harriott Show.

On-screen presenting roles include The Best and The Hi Lo Club, Christmas Cooking on GMTV and Summer Cooking on GMTV. She was also a regular expert contributor to a number of food and lifestyle show, including Food Uncut, Great Food Live, Saturday Kitchen, Saturday Cooks, This Morning, Market Kitchen and Local Food Heroes.

She is a prolific author of cookery books, including The Really Useful Vegetarian Student Cookbook, The Student Cookbook, Salsas and Ketchups, Salsas, Relishes and Dips, Can’t Cook Won’t Cook Leaves Home, Pizza, Pasta, The Best (with Ben O’Donoghue and Paul Merrett), Family, The Hi Lo Cookbook (re-released as Delicious Low Fat Recipes) and Natural Born Fillers.

She is an established food stylist working with many of the country's top brands including Waitrose & Partners, M&S and BBC Good Food.