Summary

At once a family saga, a love story, an eating guide, and a travel memoir, this recollection follows Lucio Galletto as he returns to his homeland in search of his foundations, his personal soffritto . In 1975, Lucio ran away to Australia with a beautiful woman with whom he fell in love at his parents' restaurant--legendary for the way they cooked the local specialties--in Lunigiana, a city in northern Italy. This narrative traces Lucio on his mission to understand his family, the food, and the culture that prepared him to create the delicious menus in his restaurant, thousands of miles away from his birthplace and family. Full of tales from farmers, fishermen, war heroes, winemakers, waiters, hunters, cooks, cousins, aunts, shepherds, and scholars, this portrait of a journey explores the ingredients that make a life.