Surely most of us have memories of the “good old days” when summers were lazy and spent having fun with family and enjoying all the fresh fruits and vegetables of the season.

Obviously food, from sourcing and preparing to serving and entertaining, was an integral part of my upbringing. My love of food and how it connects us is the result of my mother and grandmothers, four generations in total, coming together weekly in the kitchen. Besides some good family gossip, a few choice Italian phrases, and aromas that could be detected a block away, our kitchen was filled with women, children and love.