Weekend Cooking: The Food of Love by Anthony Capella

I knew exactly what I was going to do for Weekend Cooking this week. I had people coming for dinner so I was going to share the recipes that I was going to cook for them, but now they aren't coming. Admittedly they are two of my very favourite recipes ever and I have posted them on the blog before, but that doesn't mean that I couldn't share them again right? I am sure that I will cook those recipes at some point in the next couple of months, so instead of posting those recipes (again), I thought I would post a review of a fiction book with a very good foodie feel to it!

Laughter. Romance. Seduction

When in Rome, do as the Romans do...

Laura Patterson, a twenty-four-year-old student, is spending a year studying art history in Rome. She's decided that from now on she'll only go out with a man who can cook.

Tommaso Massi, handsome and silver tongued, tells Laura that he's a chef at one of Italy's best restaurants. In reality, he's just a humble waiter.

His best friend, Bruno, who really is a chef - a brilliant one - is called upon to help. But when he falls for Laura, the sparks begin to fly...

Laura Patterson is a student who is spending a year studying art history in Rome. I am not sure what the word is for someone who loves all thing Italian (the English equivalent is Anglophile).Unlike a lot of her fellow college students who seem to have created their own community and spend time hanging out together, Laura wants to get out and find real Italians, and is prepared to explore the back alleys of Rome to find whatever it is that she is looking for. She is however a little jaded by the typical Italian lotharios who approach her.

When she meets Tomasso, she is attracted to him as he is to her, but then again Tomasso has long had a taste for seducing foreigners. He does realise that there is one sure way to get what he wants with Laura, and that is through food. The only problem is he can't cook. He is however a waiter at one of the best restaurants in Rome, and his room mate Bruno is working towards being a chef. Bruno lives to cook, and pours all of his passion into his food, but is somewhat socially awkward, particularly around beautiful young Americans! So whilst Tomasso pretends to cook amazing food, Bruno pretends to be his waiter friend.

Is this set up sounding a little familiar? Yes, this is a twist on Cyrano de Bergerac, but this time the language of love is food, and let me tell you, I can understand why Laura fell for Tomasso when she thought he was the one doing all that cooking just for her.  Some of the food mentioned in this book sounded divine!

Of course, the path to true love is never smooth, and for Tomasso and Bruno things get complicated when they cook a meal for Laura's friend and her family. The father is a successful businessman and he is so impressed by the charming and handsome Tomasso who he believes is a fantastic cook, that he offers to set the young men up in business, but things don't exactly turn out as planned, and our three main characters need to face some difficult truths.

There's something really cool about a book where you get to read a good story, but it also has you salivating as you read! This is the second book by Anthony Capella that I have read, and he has managed to do that in both of them.  As I was reading this book, I was trying to think of any really good Italian restaurants nearby, so that I could go and eat really, really good Italian - freshly made pasta, with fresh herbs and quality ingredients, made with love! Spaghetti Bolognese made with the sauce in a jar that I usually have was just not going to cut it! Man, I am getting hungry again thinking about it.

Recently I saw the synopsis for Capella's next book, and I can not wait to read it! It involve ice cream, and the court of Charles II - sounds exactly like my kind of book!

On the cover of this book, it says "A Mouth Watering Romantic Comedy" and that is very much what you get. If you want a very enjoyable read which will make you salivate whilst reading it, give Anthony Capella a go! Maybe I will go out to an Italian restaurant for dinner tonight.

Rating 4.5/5