The Diary of a Mad Chef: “A Collection of Culinary Treasures and Short Stories”

Daniel DellaVecchia

Aug 2012 · Trafford Publishing

About this ebook

This family cookbook morphed into much more for me during the writing process. It began by contacting friends and family to collect recipes for what I thought would be a simple process. During those conversations and with my own memories, a flood of personal history evolved in my mind. What began as a repository of food recipes became much more to me, and I decided to collect the process in the form of this book, The Diary of a Mad Chef, to also include photos of those people and selected short stories. Food has always been the center of our familys common narrative thread, and I attempted to place the face and the stories of my friends and family with the recipes as I remember them. Along with the feedback and photos from my friends and family, it became a two-year-long effort to compile, edit, and publish this book. The journey has been a magnificent experience for me, and I am grateful to have had the time and opportunity to write this book.

About the author

During my 56 years I collected many things along the way. Some of those experiences are outlined and described in this book and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did collecting and writing them. As for me, and the person I was and have become I believe the following song lyrics written by Kris Kristofferson contain a pretty good description of the author. The Pilgrim And he keeps right on a changin’ for the better or the worse Searchin’ for a shrine he has never found Never known’ if believin’ is a blessin’ or a curse Or if the going up was worth the comin’ down He’s a poet, he’s a picker, he’s a prophet, he’s a pusher He’s a pilgrim and a preacher and a problem when he’s stoned He’s a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction Taking every wrong direction on his lonely way back home