Rachelle · Katherine Appello
Keeper of
Ancient Flames
Honoring the Sephardic and Crypto-Jewish heritage woven through the olive groves of Southern Italy and the sunlit shores of the Iberian Peninsula — through art, music, and story.
About Rachelle · Katherine
Tracing the Hidden Threads
of History
I'm a writer, digital artist, and genealogy researcher exploring the concealed lineages of Converso families who survived the Inquisition by hiding their Jewish identity for generations — preserved in the DNA and daily customs of Southern Italy and the Iberian Peninsula.
Through DNA testing, archival research, books, and music, I honor these ancestors — and I'm soon relocating to Puglia, Italy, to continue this living research alongside my ESA dog, Lizzie.
"
Food carries memory across diaspora — every dish a letter from ancestors who could not speak freely.
— Exiled Flavors
Explore the Work
Where Art Meets Ancestry
Books & Writing
From Exiled Flavors to deep dives into Romani and Morisco heritage — stories that recover what history tried to erase.
View Books →Music & Visual Art
Original songs weaving Italian, Spanish, and Hebrew traditions — hear the echoes of ancestors in each melody.
Listen on Spotify →Ancestral Research
DNA testing, archival research, and a move to Puglia — uncovering Sephardic and Converso roots hidden for centuries.
Learn More →Available Now
Books on Lulu
Exiled Flavors, Beyond Stereotypes, Italy Unveiled, and Echoes of the Morisco — all available now.
Connect
Find Me Around the Web
Follow along on the ancestral journey through music, art, research, and stories.