Amaracord: Marcella (Hazan) Remembers

Speaking of Hazan. Reading Marcella Hazan's autobiography, AMARCORD: MARCELLA REMEMBERS, is delightful for anyone who loves "chef-memoirs," my self-appointed genre for such books. Marcella's son, Giuliano (talented per his own cookbooks and cooking classes), kindly wrote a blurb for my ITALY FEVER book jacket, making the book doubly fun for me to read the Hazan family story.

What's Cooking at Villa Giona

Each year, my friend Giuliano Hazan, offers cooking classes at Villa Giona, a fabulous villa near Verona. Oh how I miss my own days at villa (with an attic room to die for!), sketching and taking photos and cooking too. I've also attended classes when Giuliano traveled to Texas from his base in Florida. Cooking with Giuliano is great fun, and his cookbooks are easy to use, including the more recent, HOW TO COOK ITALIAN.