Cooking with Italian Grandmothers Recipes and Stories from Tuscany to Sicily

Chef Jessica Theroux spent a year travelling throughout Italy, cooking and talking with Italian grandmothers, learning their secrets and listening to their stories. The result is a charming and authentic collection of recipes, techniques, anecdotes, and photographs that celebrate the rustic and sustainable culinary traditions of Italy's most experienced home cooks. Features the histories and menus of fifteen grandmothers, each of whom welcomed Ms. Theroux into their kitchens and pantries and shared both their favorite dishes and personal wisdoms. From the dramatic winter shores of Ustica to the blooming hills of Tuscany in spring, readers will journey through Italy's most diverse regions and seasons, to discover the country's most delectable dishes, from the traditional to the unexpected, and meet the storied women who make them. Part travel diary, part photo essay, part cookbook, this book features over 100 time-honoured recipes, from the perfect panna cotta to the classic meat lasagna.

Jessica Theroux is a chef and artist whose passion lies in building community and health by gathering people around the kitchen table. A photographer and filmmaker, in 2003 Jessica was awarded the Arnold Fellowship by Brown University to travel to Italy and document food traditions. In 2005 shw was nominated by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse for a year-long culinary fellowship at the Montalvo Arts Center. She is now a freelance chef, teaching cooking at the Esalen Institute, Montalvo Arts Center, in the public school system, and privately from her home. Jessica continues to be in awe of food as a simple yet profound source of pleasure and connection.