This is an auction for THE FRAGRANCE OF BASIL: FOOD & MEMORIES OF MY ITALIAN CHILDHOOD, by Raffaela Delmonte.

Foreword by Peta Mathias.

"One of the things Raffaela Delmonte – chef/owner of Al Dente - likes to do early on with guests is get everyone laughing. Raffaela certainly has plenty of visitors coming through the doors of her rustic home, Villa Romantica on Auckland’s North Shore. Through her home-based business, Al Dente, she has entertained hundreds of clients who have been eager to immerse themselves in all things Italian through cooking classes, dinners, seminars and special events. Rather than just sitting down to a meal, Raffaela’s guests help prepare what they’ll be eating, often with produce plucked fresh from her organic garden. Throughout she will tell stories about the origins of regional dishes, snapshots of life in Italy and describe how and why things are cooked. Her passion for food history also led to the writing of her memoir The Fragrance of Basil: Food and Memories of My Italian Childhood. Raffaela's life has always revolved around food. Her love of cuisine has been inherited from her family's regional roots in Northern Italy and along the Italian Riviera. Her passion for cooking traditional dishes proceeded to researching and delving into more technical, historical and cultural aspects of food - she is a graduate of La Scuola della Cucina Italiana. This delightful book, written in a charming and evocative manner, encapsulates the essence of Italian food and daily life through memories of special times and places, and through favourite family recipes and photographs.”

Penguin paperback 2002.

236 pages.

Very good condition.

The cost of shipping is $4.95.

There is of course no charge for shipping if you collect this book from my shop in Wellington following the auction.

Payment within seven days, please.