My passion for cooking began when I was a little girl. I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up living next door to my grandparents. My grandma (Nana) had a large fresh herb garden in her yard along with a huge vegetable garden. I would spend many afternoons with her picking bundles of herbs that she would use to make dinners. My grandmother would pick the herbs, pass them to me and ask me what I thought they smelled like before telling me what the names of the herbs were. This was one of my favorite pastimes as a little girl. After we gathered the herbs we would go into the house and cook with them. My grandmother would teach me how to flavor the meals using the herbs we just picked. She and my grandfather's family came from Sicily and spoke mostly Italian in their home in the early years. My grandmother would talk to me in Italian as she taught me how to cook. My mother, Josephine, and I had a very similar style when it came to cooking. Of course we wanted our food to be delicious, but we also wanted our food to be inventive. We used creative ways of using herbs and fresh ingredients to make beautiful food, hence the name of our book, "Bella Mangiare" Unfortunately, five years ago my mother's dream was cut short when she passed away from cancer. Honoring her memory has given me the strength to finish this dream we both started. I am delighted to share with you my family's traditions and our passion for cooking with this book of fresh and creative recipes to warm your heart.