When Giulia Melucci was a youngster growing up in Brooklyn, this little Catholic girl probably couldn't have seen the way things would turn out for her in her personal or public life. As a nice Catholic girl, she was most likely thinking of love and marriage and that little one in the baby carriage. As it turns out, Giulia Melucci turned out to be good at everything she did, and does, except for finding the right man. She was a huge success when working in the publishing business and of course, became a well known name in the culinary arts. Her sense of humor is what makes Giulia's recent memoir/cookbook (did you ever think you'd see that together?) a huge hit and very rewarding read.
I LOVED, I LOST, I MADE SPAGHETTI showcases the writing skills of Melucci as she relates in this charming memoir about her love life with men and with cooking. The cooking part is great and I think the keeper part of the book in my opinion. There are recipes throughout the book and when Giula is going over her failures at relationships, she even discusses what kind of food she made for her dates and shares the "how to" recipes. All the recipes seem simple to make (and for myself, who can handle the microwave fine but...) not made up of all those fancy foods you can only find in New York or some expensive gourmet shoppe in your own town! But when you put all the parts together the way Melucci describes it, the result is pure heaven. These are recipes that you can make at home for your family or just as well serve at a party and impress your guests.
You will of course need to read this book after a good meal or else you will be up every few minutes for something to eat. As you read about Giula's many boyfriends, from her first in 1990 who she calls "Kit" in the book who became an alcoholic, to Ethan who was next until he said they should just be friends to a more recent Scot, there is no happy ending for our Queen of the Kitchen. Scot, who was last, was the one who she coddled and worked with to help him get his book published until they parted ways. At that point, Giulia realized she could be content just cooking for herself and writing.
I imagine that the men/boys Giulia has dated are kicking themselves as they read her humorous memoir and remember the savory aroma of the food she prepared for them. They will see the titles of some of her recipes and realize they were probably named because of the relationship she had with the man she was dating at the time. This book will go down easy and give you a glimpse into the life of a chef and what's cookin' in both her life and her kitchen. It should satisfy your romantic comedy novel and great recipe cookbook all in one!
