A hilariously funny cookbook-cum-how-I-did-it memoir by the chef/restaurateur who created New York's dazzling Ápizz restaurant. At the age of thirty-seven, John LaFemina left a lucrative career as a jeweler to become a chef. Instead of going back to school, or getting on-the-job training, he did it the hard way: he bought the restaurant and then taught himself to cook. Today he owns two of New York's great Italian restaurants-Ápizz and Peasant-and is one of the city's most-talked-about chefs, earning rave reviews from fans and critics. In this gorgeous cookbook, he not only shares scores of recipes, but describes his life as a Canarsie boy learning about meatballs and macaroni in his mother's kitchen-and reveals how he drew on a lifetime of Italian cooking, and his own hard work and exquisite taste to create his dream restaurant from scratch. LaFemina takes us step-by-step through the process of finding the perfect location (and figuring out how many meatballs you have to sell to pay the rent), designing a restaurant, procuring all the necessary permits and licenses, and creating the menu. And this is just the first part of running a restaurant. He shares his experiences in dealing with the public and the press, unexpected disasters, and finally, basking in the glory of a popular restaurant. Along with his inspiring story, John LaFemina also shares 100 mouthwatering recipes, including: Lasagna with Braised Wild Boar Mushroom Risotto Veal, Beef, and Pork Meatballs with Ricotta Filling Open Ravioli with Roasted Butternut Squash Creamsicle Panna Cotta Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding