Arlene Iaquinto was born in the Bronx, New York, to a middle class Italian family. She developed her love for cooking from her mother-in-law, Lucia Franco. While observing Lucia’s passion for preparing special dishes for her family during the Christmas holiday, Arlene developed the same passion for meal preparation not only during the holidays but whenever family would gather for meals. This strong sense of family and love of cooking prompted her to write down the recipes handed down to her by Lucia. Arlene shares the traditions of an Italian family and hopes to pass those traditions and her love of cooking that Lucia inspired to others through this book.