Untitled Document Home
Chef & Hotel Profile
Publisher's Page
Gift Guide
Travel Adventures
Epicurean Events
Health Minded
Spa Baby Secrets
Sips
Book Bites
Culinary Coup
Sense of Style
Kids Kaleidoscope
Tinsletown Tidbits
Wheels
Radio Show & Links
Contact Us
Santa Barbara Eyeglass Factory


BOOKBITES  .   .   .


I LOVE BOOKS

So many wonderful books out for the holidays it's hard to choose who to give what!

Below are some great books available on the shelves of my bookstore Chaucher's in Santa Barbara.  I so love bookstores and visit them where ever I can find one. On my trip to Paris recently I was delighted to visit the Shakespear And Company near Notre Dame and the entire neighborhood was enchanting.

Renowned Shakespeare and Company, Paris, France

__________________________________________________________

DECEMBER BOOK REVIEW:

Feast of the Seven Fishes by Daniel Paterna

By Bonnie Carroll

I received a copy Feast of the Seven Fishes by Daniel Paterna and was pleased to see Daniel’s family recipes are from outside of Naples but really are from Brooklyn. The book is beautiful to look at and to hold. You can almost feel the love both for the food and the people who created these recipes, who are Daniel's family.

This new book is an amazing history of an Italian family and the generations of it's members who all loved Italian food, in particular the recipes of their grandmother. The book contains photo copies of hand typed and written recipes for dishes prepared for the Feast and other special family occasions.

Recently on the Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel mentioned this Feast of the Seven Fishes and said that in his family the traditional dinner holds great importance and it obviously is a meal containing no meat, only fish, and the dishes very depending on whose grandmother or mothers recipe is being created. Kimmel said their feast has become the Feast of the Twenty Fishes.”

bookcover

Daniel shares his memories and recipes from where he grew up in Brooklyn in the Bensonhurst neighborhood. It is so much more than a recipe book for a traditional Christmas Eve dinner of the Seven Fishes, it is a documented story of his family and the shops and food vendors he grew up with. As a food and travel writer I have experienced some similar dishes to the ones his grandmother brought from her home near Naples.

Finding way to adapt when preparing tomato based dishes took some skill on the part of the chef. The flavor of their Italian tomatoes cannot be found here and the Nonna or grandmother did what she could to duplicate the recipes.

The historic and family photos in Daniel's book are something that would touch the heart strings of every American who had ancestors who came to America and made a life for themselves. This family was very involved with the food industry and the specific information on business handling everything from meat to cheese to pasta, fish, bread and more is astounding.

Stories about family dinners brought back memories of my own family, and the signature dishes that are so dear to me, some I still make. But, being a lover of Italian food, and because I have many Italian friends including some star chef/restaurateurs I know my great Italian dishes. I fully came to understand because of travel with the Italian Tourism groups through Italy how very different dishes with the same name or basic ingredients can be from family to family and love the sense of competition the Italians have about what is the best dish and how it is prepared and where the ingredients come from. I love it all, so when this book arrived I was thrilled to begin reading it and traveling on a wonderful family food journey with the author and his relatives.

This book is the perfect holiday gift for anyone who loves food, especially Italian food, and has a story on their own families 'coming to America' along with nostalgic dishes that remind them of the unique family members they love or loved. A wonderful read!! Available on Amazon Hard Cover $31.47.

___________________________________________________

COOKBOOK & FOOD RELATED BOOKS

 


CELEBRITY BOOKS & AUDIO BOOKS

 

ART BOOKS

Klimt Art   - Santa Barbara History

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

New Children's Book by Show Host Jimmy Kimmel

STOP AMUSING THIS GOOSE

Story and Illustrations by Jimmy Kimmel


2008
March 08 | April 08 | May 08 | June 08 | July 08 | August 08 | September 08 | October 08 | November 08 | December 08 | January 09 | February 09 | March 09 | April 09 | May 09 | June 09 | July 09 | August 09 | September 09 | October 09 | December 09 | January 10 | March 10 | April 10 | February 10 | May 10 | June 10 | July 10 | August 10 | September 10 | October 10 | November 10 | December 10 | January 11 | February 11 | March 11 | April 11 | May 11 | June 11 | July 11 | August 11 | September 11 | November 11 | October 11 | December 11 | January 12 | February 12 | March 12 | April 12 | May 12 | June 12 | July 12 | August 12 | September 12 | October 12 | November 12 | December 12 | January 13 | February 13 | March 13 | April 13 | May 13 | June 13 | July 13 | August 13 | September 13 | October 13 | November 13 | December 13 | January 14 | February 14 | March 14 | April 14 | May 14 | May 14 | June 14 | July 14 | August 14 | September 14 | October 14 | November 14 | December 14 | January 15 | February 15 | March 15 | April 15 | May 15 | June 15 | July 15 | August 15 | September 15 | October 15 | April 16 | May 16 | June 16 | July 16 | August 16 | November 15 | December 15 | January 16 | February 16 | March 16 | September 16 | October 16 | November 16 | December 16 | January 17 | February 17 | March 17 | April 17 | May 17 | June 17 | July 17 | August 17 | October 17 | November 17 | December 17 | January 18 | February 18 | March 18 | April 18 | May 18 | June 18 | July 18 | August 18 | September 18 | October 18 | November 18 | December 18 | January 19 | February 19 | March 19 | April 19 | May 19 | June 19 | July 19 | August 19 | September 19 | October 19 | November 19 | December 19 | January 20 | February 20 | March 20 | April 20 | May 20 | June 20 | July 20 | August 20 | September 20 | October 20 | November 20 | December 20 | January 21 | February 21 | March 21 | April 21 | May 21 | June 21 | July 21 | August 21 | September 21 | October 21 | November 21 | December 21 | January 22 | February 22 | March 22 | April 22 | May 22 | June 22 | July 22 | August 22 | September 22 | October 22 | November 22 | December 22 | January 23 | February 23 | March 23 | April 23 | May 23 | June 23 | July 23 | August 23 | September 23 | October 23 | November 23 | December 23 | January 24 | February 24 | February 08 | January 08

2007
December 07
| November 07 | October 07| September 07 | August 07 | July 07 | June 07 | May 07
April 07 | March 07 | February 07 | January 07

2006
December 06
| November 06 | October 06 | September 06 | August 06 | July 06 | June 06 | May 06
April 06 | March 06 | February 06 | January 07

2005
December 05
| November 05 | October 05 | September 05 | August 05 | July 05 | June 05 | May 05
April 05 | March 05 | February 05

© 2008 Bonnie Carroll, All Rights Reserved