The Food of Love

What a fun book! A treasure for anyone who loves Italian cooking - Real Roman Cooking - with flair and imagination that takes you beyond a great spaghetti sauce. Capella's descriptions of the meals make your mouth water and inspire adventure with herbs, meats, and tantalizing desserts. His characters are spicy and entertaining. This would be a great movie. (Diane Kinman is the author of "Franca's Story: Survival in World War II Italy")

I read this last week on a long-haul flight - perfect diversion on a noisy, crowded plane with indifferent plastic airline food! This is a take on the famous Cyrano story where an inarticulate man in love speaks to the love of his life through the only means at his disposal: in this case cooking rather than poetry. Bruno loves Laura who loves Tommaso who really could not give a damn about anyone except himself. Put them all into the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant, throw in a few comic extras (the college teacher with neuroses about food, the barrista determined to brew the best cup of coffee in the universe, "quaint" Mafioso, etc), add in a diversion in the rural depths of Le Marche and you have a very jolly read. If you like food, then you can smell the cooking and taste the flavours as they can only be experienced in Italy. You can walk the back streets, visit the markets and learn about the great Roman love of traditional food. My only criticism is that Laura is perhaps a bit over-drawn: she is too obviously a character created by a man rather than a woman and reminded me a little too much of the much admired Nigella Lawson. I agree with the reviewer who enjoyed the little asides of very rude Italian slang - a guide on what not to say when in Rome! I will most certainly be looking for other books by this most welcome new author.

This first novel by Anthony Capella is a fresh and sassy romp of a love story. Very Italian, very gourmet, very funny, very sexy, it's a perfectly delightful summer read, a mini holiday in Italia. Witty, satirical in places, sad in other places, but ultimately satisfying, Capella has captured personalities with style and precision. It reminded me of nothing so much as a Shakespearean comedy, not so much in terms of literary value, but with respect to its bawdiness, its charm and its humor. Delicioso and molto buffo! Bravo to the author - can't wait to read his next offering.

She put down the spoon, amazed. It was all gone. She had eaten it without being aware of eating, her mind in a reverie. "Did you like it?" She looked up. Somehow she wasn't surprised. "What was it?" she asked. "It doesn't have a name," Bruno said. "It's just... it's just the food of love." [Page 255] This romantic comedy, mainly set in Rome, is an enjoyable tale of two Italian men who romance an American student with food. Although a very different story, a part of the theme is reminiscent of "Cyrano de Bergerac." Reading THE FOOD OF LOVE will leave you dreaming about a visit to Italy, a fine Italian meal, perhaps preparing a meal of your own, and the sentiments of romance. I enjoyed every single page of the story. From the moment I picked up the book, if I wasn't chuckling, I had a smile on my face. The vivid description of characters, neighborhood, and locales reminded me of my time in Italy as study-abroad student. Each character was engaging and authentic - from the protagonists to the secondary characters. I loved the restaurant/kitchen scenes; the descriptions of Bruno shopping and cooking; and the scenes of the small Italian town where he found some solace. I got a kick out of the Italian sayings and their translations: Parla comme t'ha fatto mammeta. Translation: Speak as your mother showed you - i.e., Cut the [bull]. [Page 36]. Applied in appropriate segments, they were funny and added to the make up of the characters that used them. I could envision Tomasso and Bruno talking like that. Along with a happy ending, the story finishes with a few simple recipes. Normally, I don't cook, but I was inspired to try making some of the dishes. I'm happy to write that my cooking endeavors were a success. Cleverly written, THE FOOD OF LOVE is a recommended read. Fafa Demasio

Bruno is not just an Italian cook, who can prepare dishes from typical recipes, he is a chef who gathers ingredients and creates his own masterpieces of flavors. However, he is not confident in other areas of his life, such as love. When his roommate and friend, Tommaso, asks for his help to seduce an American tourist by secretely preparing wonderful meals for her, Bruno doesn't see the harm in agreeing to let Tommaso take the credit. Little does he know that the American woman, Laura, is the same one he has been watching in the local markets. Bruno creates foods that show his feelings, but Laura believes that Tommaso is the chef. What is she really falling for? The food that Bruno passionately prepares or Tommaso? It is a joy for any reader who loves food to read about the dishes that Bruno creates. This was a yummy book because of the delicacies and because of the love story. The author, Anthony Capella, really knows his Italian food! I highly recommend it! It is a great new addition to the food and fiction category.