Acknowledgments

This is not my first book, but each one feels like a completely unique experience. It seems a solitary activity, writing: but in the end, so many people support the work I do and love me regardless of my faults and flaws…and they are many. They have my deep and living gratitude.

I have to thank my ancestors, which sounds lofty, but without my Italian grandparents and relatives, my love of food might not be as passionate as it is. I might like food—maybe even love it—but passionate? That came from the strong women who spent countless hours in the kitchen: singing, cooking, laughing, gossiping, and instilling in my young heart a love and respect for food and nature that I have carried with me all of my life.