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Everyone has a story to tell, but one sure-fire ‘recipe’ to open a topic of conversation is to ask someone to tell you about their favorite foods as a child. I must warn you, though. Prepare yourself: grab up a cup of coffee, settle yourself into a comfortable chair, or snug up to their kitchen table because you are headed for a most passionate journey. Immediately you will find the fondest of memories rising to the surface—moments of delight of holidays past, favorite family foods, cherished traditions and beloved family stories--will all bubble forth. And before you know it, he or she will jump up, eyes bright with excitement, rush to the kitchen cupboard only to return with a favorite recipe card clutched in hand. “Here it is,” will be the exclamation. And there, all smudged with past efforts, will be the proof of a favorite recipe worthy of sharing. With arms flailing and mixing motions sweeping the air, the family treasure will be rattled off to you, along with a chorus of laughter and stories shared about family times of days past.

As a retired family therapist with a not-so-uncommon love of good food and travel, I challenged myself to search for family stories in both Italy and France. Beginning with the simple desire to learn more about “family” through culture and tradition, I asked each family member—no matter their age—to tell me about their favorite foods. The above scenario was repeated for me time and time again. I was not only invited into the warmth of their kitchens to sample the best of their traditional foods, but was served, as a side dish, the most amazing of stories. Yes, some folklore; some myth; but always with an element of truth mixed with a pinch of humor and offered graciously on a platter.

It was a most delectable journey I embarked on several years ago and it is one that I continue to this day. And so you will find in the writings that I offer you through my website, an ‘amuse-bouche,’ so to speak—a small compilation of recipes, stories and anecdotes to whet your appetite for my books to come.