A Man & His Meatballs: The Hilarious but True Story of a Self-Taught Chef and Restaurateur

by John LaFemina

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 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,



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 Pudding

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[grundoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The progression: super entertaining and informative -> dismay -> sincere hope that these are not the actual recipes. The build out is just terrific and I would have enjoyed much more detail there - or indeed, just more, as it's only a quarter or so of the book. Then things turn culinary... sort of. While he does redeem himself somewhat, it turns out he never came into this with a passion for, or any real knowledge of, the kitchen. And then even that part of the narrative too soon comes to a close. There's very little to inspire in the recipes, plenty of places where I cringed, and not a one that couldn't be improved upon by anybody with a little training or instinct. I'm still wondering how they run year-round when seemingly every dish relies on "red and yellow grape tomatoes".

[Stephanie Boyle Mays · Rating 3 out of 5]

Text is meh, but recipes are great!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the comical and true story of a diamond seller who ends up becoming a chef at his own restaurant- along the way he gets married, his refrigerators conk out leaving all sorts of smells, and he forges a relationship with a contractor who doesn't speak English.