"Mark Vetri has the heart and soul of an ancient and serene Italian grandmother, and his cooking shares that soul with each of the guests at his perfect and delicious eponymous ristorante in Philly. Now home cooks can get a slice of that perfection with this magnificent tome of uncompromisingly excellent yet very straightforward recipes from his heart and the hearts of Italian cooks. There is no doubt in my mind that this book will be a classic for decades--an essential for anyone who wants to cook like a real Italian at home." --Mario Batali, author of
Molto Italiano "If I were going to eat one Italian meal in America, it would be at Marc Vetri's place." --Alan Richman, author of
Fork It Over "Like Marc Vetri's food, his new book reflects a philosophy I enthusiastically embrace: honor clarity and simplicity above all, and remain true to yourself by pouring your heart and soul into each and every effort. Marc is clearly inspiring, and when I put his book down, I couldn't decide whether to race to the kitchen or book a flight to Italy!" --Patricia Wells, author of
Vegetable Harvest
"There's a lot the restaurants Osteria and Vetri don't have in common. There's one very lucky thing they do. Both are helmed by Marc Vetri, whose enormous talents have brought him a widespread, fervent regard." --Frank Bruni,
New York Times "Mario Batali loves the place, and so does just about everyone else who's lucky enough to snag one of the 35 seats in this casual but rarefied room."
--Gourmet (naming Vetri one of the top 50 restaurants in the country)
"everyone loves Marc's food, hospitality and philosophy: It's all about the cooks and the cooking. No pretension, just genius food." --Dana Corwin,
Food & Wine "Vetri takes Italian food to a new level in the United States." --Michael Bauer,
San Francisco Chronicle "More than a cookbook, this debut from acclaimed Philadelphia chef/restaurateur Vetri is a guide through the particular Italian cuisine and culture on which he has based his career...Amateur chefs may have only dreamed of having a culinary journey like Vetri's, but with this book he has given them a reliable key to turning dream into reality."
--Publisher's Weekly *Starred Review*
Philadelphia enjoys one of the country's most dynamic food scenes, and Marc Vetri is its top culinary talent. Mario Batali called Vetri Ristorante "possibly the best Italian restaurant on the East Coast." A parade of prominent national food critics followed and all came to the same conclusion. Vetri's refined rustic-Italian cuisine is on brilliant display in Vetri. The recipes showcase the chef's soulful renditions of Italian classics, and accompanying notes by sommelier Jeff Benjamin offer lively lessons on the classic and lesser-known wines of the region. Throughout, Vetri shares tales of his cooking apprenticeship in northern Italy and shows how to bring the lessons he learned there into the home kitchen.