Synopses & Reviews
< p=""> A hilariously funny cookbook& ndash; cum& ndash; how& ndash; I& ndash; did& ndash; it memoir by the chef/restaurateur who created New York's dazzling & #193; pizz restaurant. <> < p=""> At the age of thirty& ndash; seven, John LaFemina left a lucrative career as a jeweler to become a chef. Instead of going back to school, or getting on& ndash; the& ndash; job training, he did it the hard way: he bought the restaurant and then taught himself to cook. <> < p=""> Today he owns two of New York's great Italian restaurants& ndash; & #193; pizz and Peasant& ndash; and is one of the city's most& ndash; talked& ndash; about chefs, earning rave reviews from fans and critics. In this gorgeous cookbook, he not only shares scores of recipes, but describes his life as a Canarsie boy learning about meatballs and macaroni in his mother's kitchn& ndash; and reveals how he drew on a lifetime of Italian cooking, and his own hard work and exquisite taste to create his dream restaurant from scratch.<> < p=""> LaFemina takes us step& ndash; by& ndash; step through the process of finding the perfect location (and figuring out how many meatballs you have to sell to pay the rent), designing a restaurant, procuring all the necessary permits and licenses, and creating the menu. And this is just the first part of running a restaurant. He shares his experiences in dealing with the public and the press, unexpected disasters, and finally, basking in the glory of a popular restaurant.<> < p=""> Along with his inspiring story, John LaFemina also shares 100 mouthwatering recipes, including: <> < p=""> < li=""> Lasagna with BraisedWild Boar <> < p=""> < li=""> Mushroom Risotto<> < p=""> < li=""> Veal, Beef, and Pork Meatballs with Ricotta Filling<> < p=""> < li=""> Open Ravioli with Roasted Butternut Squash<> < p=""> < li=""> Creamsicle Panna Cotta<> < p=""> < li=""> Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding<>
Review
Any plate fired up at Ápizz makes me hot. One of my favorite off-the-beaten-path New York finds. Rachael Ray
Synopsis
The owner of New York's pizz and Peasant restaurants recounts his childhood exposure to Italian cooking, abrupt decision to change careers, and on-the-job struggles to become a master chef, in a volume that shares such recipes as Mushroom Risotto, Open Ravioli with Roasted Butternut Squash, and Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding. 25,000 first printing.
Synopsis
The compelling tale of how a Brooklyn boy ditched a lucrative career at age thirty-seven to follow his dream of opening a restaurant in Manhattan . . . and taught himself to be a chef along the way.
A successful New York City jeweler with a love of good food, John LaFemina decided to take a major risk in pursuit of a dream held by millions: to have his own restaurant. But instead of going to culinary school or getting on-the-job training, he did it the hard way: he bought a restaurant and then learned how to cook.
Today he owns three successful dining establishments Á pizz, Peasant, and The Orchard in a city where 90 percent of new restaurants close within their first two years. He is one of New York's most talked-about chefs, earning rave reviews from fans and critics. In this compelling memoir/cookbook, LaFemina describes how he used his Canarsie, Brooklyn, street smarts to deal with a colorful, and often shady, cast of characters while opening his restaurant. LaFemina takes us step-by-step through how he found the perfect location (and figured out how many meatballs you have to sell to pay the rent), designed the restaurant, and created the menu. He tells of his experiences in dealing with the public, his staff, the press, and unexpected disasters and finally, basking in the glory of a popular restaurant. And he shares scores of mouthwatering recipes from his restaurant menus and his Italian family heritage, including:
Veal, Beef, and Pork Meatballs with Ricotta Filling Red Pepper and Fresh Basil Soup with Crispy Shallots Mushroom Risotto Open Ravioli with Roasted Butternut Squash White Chocolate Bread Pudding
This one-of-a-kind restauranthow-to and cookbook will charm readers eager for great storytelling and delicious recipes.
Synopsis
A hilariously funny cookbook-cum-how-I-did-it memoir by the chef/restaurateur who created New York's dazzling Ápizz restaurant.
At the age of thirty-seven, John LaFemina left a lucrative career as a jeweler to become a chef. Instead of going back to school, or getting on-the-job training, he did it the hard way: he bought the restaurant and then taught himself to cook.
Today he owns two of New York's great Italian restaurants-Ápizz and Peasant-and is one of the city's most-talked-about chefs, earning rave reviews from fans and critics. In this gorgeous cookbook, he not only shares scores of recipes, but describes his life as a Canarsie boy learning about meatballs and macaroni in his mother's kitchen-and reveals how he drew on a lifetime of Italian cooking, and his own hard work and exquisite taste to create his dream restaurant from scratch.
LaFemina takes us step-by-step through the process of finding the perfect location (and figuring out how many meatballs you have to sell to pay the rent), designing a restaurant, procuring all the necessary permits and licenses, and creating the menu. And this is just the first part of running a restaurant. He shares his experiences in dealing with the public and the press, unexpected disasters, and finally, basking in the glory of a popular restaurant.
Along with his inspiring story, John LaFemina also shares 100 mouthwatering recipes, including:
Lasagna with Braised Wild Boar
Mushroom Risotto
Veal, Beef, and Pork Meatballs with Ricotta Filling
Open Ravioli with Roasted Butternut Squash
Creamsicle Panna Cotta
Chocolate Banana Bread PuddingAbout the Author
John LaFemina is the owner and executive chef at Ápizz and the Orchard and co-owner of Peasant, three of New York's hottest Italian restaurants. His wife, Pam Manela, is a publicist and founder of In House Public Relations. They live in New York City with their daughter, Tess.