This book has been a journey into cooking — A tribute to friends long gone and to the ones still inspiring me. Recipes are meant to be discovered, shared and experienced with the people you love. It brings people together in conversation and laughter. Cooking is an expression of one's soul in creativity. I began collecting recipes at a young age. I wish I knew where that little tin box full of index cards was today, what wonders it held! I suppose I could trace my first cooking experiences back to childhood, but my journey really began years later in the kitchen of my beautiful and amazing friend, Rosario Patti. He made cooking fun. He would always scold me with, "pay attention — I won't be around forever." Sadly, he wasn't, and I was stuck trying to remember the words he spoke as we cooked the perfect pasta carbonara! To this day, I am still in search of it. So, as a reminder to all, if someone makes a dish you can't stop thinking about or want to share with everyone you know, don't hesitate to ask them how to make it. Write it down, learn it and share it. It is what food is all about! It's EXACTLY why I began the journey of "I learned it from my Friends."
