A book in the making - a tribute to a family's love of cooking and "nesting"
Mary Cooks!
A book made in honor of Mary, and her love for cooking.
Three generations of this Italian family
chronicled by Deborah Bush
   |
| a mother, grandmother and daughter |
documents her family's love
of cooking
and
"nesting"
"nesting"
and her love for cooking -a celebration of 70 years of culinary creation is in the works. Although Deborah Bush loves to cook, she barely has time in between her travels around the world. With over 25 years experience in the fashion industry, Deborah has learned the ins and outs of the business at firms like Hermes, Bottega, YSL, J Mendel. She now holds the coveted position as merchandising executive at Strategic Hotels and Resorts where she conceptualizes and executes luxury and lifestyle retail projects for Four Seasons Punta Mita, Four Seasons Washington , DC, Loews Santa Monica Beach, and other hotel properties. This sounds like a dream job! In addition, Deborah pens a brand new journal called Fashion Is Love.
I am looking forward to following Deborah's musings, reflections and inspirations collected in the city, on the road, and certainly from her creative imagination. So, what does an urban New York City gal do on her free time? One of her passions is food and cooking, and Deborah comes from a long line of culinary talents. She recently embarked upon a project to sift through the family archives and compile a book (a tribute really) for her family and specifically in honor of her grandmother and her mother Mary. Deborah strives to show her family's passion for cooking, which has anchored the family through generations. This story illustrates how we often desire to reach back to our roots and hold on tightly to where we came from.
A little bit about what inspires Deborah- my grandmother Marie was born in Naples, Italy in 1903. Her father was in wheat and grain business at one time supplying flour to troops in WWI. The family moved from Italy tot he US in 1917, first to Boston, then to Portland, Oregon, then to San Francisco in the early 1920's where my grandmother was educated at Berkley with the intent on later studying medicine. She met her husband Domenico Crisera in Boston and he followed her to San Francisco. He was from Reggio Calabria and served as Secretary to the Italian delegation at the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919 owing to his skill with French language. My grandmother began entertaining quite a bit and taught her talent to my mother Mary years later.
I still remember an early Italian phrase that became popular in our family -
"un sacco vuoto non sta in piedi" and the translation means an empty sack does not stand up. The little phrase has been handed down over the generations and stands the test of time. It shows the importance of cooking to sustain and nurture in our family.
Deborah offers an excerpt from the Introduction to Mary Cooks-
"Mary has held true in her lifetime thus farm, applying creativity and ingenuity to the task of feeding both family and friends alike. Be it pastry, pasta, pizza or polenta cake, casserole, cannelloni or cacciatore, we all know Mary's recipes rule. We salute our fearless foodie and the passion that drives her"
Panettone:
a type of sweet bread loaf originally from Milan (in Milanese it is called panaton),[1] usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Italy, Malta, Brazil and Switzerland, and one of the symbols of the city of Milan. Maltese nationals are also traditionally associated with this sweet loaf. In Latin America, especially in Venezuela, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Peru, it is a Christmas dinner staple and in some places replaces roscón de reyes
(King cake).
Grandmother Marie's note to her daughter Mary-
“ My dear Mary, I really cannot send you an exact recipe for making “panettone” since I have never been able to use the exact amounts of flour and sugar twice. Some flours absorb more moisture then others. Also, if you use only egg yolks, the cake is softer - you can try this recipe, and let me know how you come out.” mama
thank you Deborah for sharing a glimpse of your story.
many of us have memories of family gatherings, conjuring up images like this famous Norman Rockwell one portrayal of a Thanksgiving dinner.
We call upon these memories when planning our own Holiday celebration.
 |
| Happy Nesting |
XO Tamara
story credits:
Pizza http://theprincewoven.com
Panettone http://PaulaDeen.com
