Guy Grossi's parents emigrated from northern Italy to Melbourne in 1960, finding themselves in a country that was beginning to embrace other cultures. While his father worked as a chef, his mother turned out the pastas, braises, soups and puddings she had learnt growing up in Verona and in Milan, which sustained the hungry family of six. As a young boy Guy learnt from his mother how to knead pagnotta, roll gnocchi and whisk the zabaglione, and it is this food that has been the inspiration for his cooking ever since. This personal collection of more than 100 family recipes and stories, stunningly photographed by Sharyn Cairns, is an invitation to cook the way the Grossi family do.

A celebration of the incredible breadth and hard work of the Italians who came and settled in Australia and have kept their food traditions intact. Set around Australia and covering the four seasons, Italian Food Safari introduces you to the concrete backyards full of abundant tomato and basil plants, the cosy home kitchens where masterpieces are whipped up, the elegant restaurants filled with delicious cooking aromas, the specialist providores and extensive delis, bakeries, cheese-makers and pasticcerias.