My Epicurean Memories: A Lifelong Culinary Adventure

When he was just ten, J. Matthew Gaglione prepared his first Sunday dinner for his Italian American family: pasta with homemade meatballs, steamed broccoli, and salad. And so began a culinary adventure that would last a lifetime and prompt forty-plus years of collecting over six thousand recipes and stories from a multitude of sources, styles, and cuisines.

In a unique collection, Gaglione presents recipes in the order they were gathered from magazines, newspapers, cookbooks, family, and friends along with a host of memorable culinary experiences that represent his lifelong epicurean journey. Gaglione begins by offering instructions on how to properly set a table and then shares a recipe for dandelion salad accompanied by an early recollection of picking greens in his grandmother’s Brooklyn garden. As he progresses through each recipe and memory, Gaglione provides directions to create delicious dishes like vegetable stew, tapenade, curried chicken salad, fish fillets en papier, Irish soda bread, and German honey spiced cookies.

My Epicurean Memories shares recipes and recollections that will provide a unique experience for anyone interested in creating delectable dishes and wonderful memories in their own kitchens.