"A Pinch of This and A Pinch of That" The Cooking Treasures of Our Fairytale Italian Restaurant, Mama Lena's Italian Kitchen, is a Story~Cookbook about a very famous Chicago Restaurant, named after Salvino's Mother, Mama Lena. This "very intimate and special spot," known and loved as "Mama Lena's" was opened in 1967, and for 15 years served fabulous food in a full five-course dinner twice nightly in reserved seatings and a unique format. While guests dined, Salvino would entertain them with Songs & Humor. This "Magical Spot" was frequented by hundreds of thousands over those years, and was "the" meeting place for locals and out-of-towners, as well. Many Celebrities and The Press often frequented Mama Lena's and they are highlighted in this Book. Roy Leonard, famed Chicago Radio Personality and respected Entertainment Critic, wrote The Foreword -- And he tells of how he had to wait for a reservation to try The Very Treasured Recipes that are now available in this very wonderful Story~Cookbook.
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Throughout the 1970s, Mama Lena's tiny Chicago restaurant attracted celebrities and cognoscenti to its twice-nightly dinners. The family-run operation required diners to eat whatever was placed before them, and family members served dinners as well entertained guests. The Sicilian food was so superior to most restaurants' Italian American fare that people crowded the tiny dining room. The current generation of Mama Lena's family has vastly expanded Mama's original pamphlet of recipes and produced a highly personal cookbook that documents the restaurant's noteworthy Sicilian-inspired cooking. As the title notes, this cookbook often calls for seasonings in quantities measured in "pinches." For those demanding more specificity, a table converts pinches to standard measures. This book offers plenty of ideas for party entertaining, since most recipes produce large quantities of food. Accompanying text reveals the family's depth of passion for their matriarch's cooking and their reverence for her memory. Mark Knoblauch
About the Author
The Authors, Salvino Madonna and Margo Madonna are Chicago natives, whose families were living 3 miles apart while they were growing up and never knew each other. Then, years later, happily they met at Mama Lena's, fell in love and married. They soon became working partners. Salvino carefully learned his Craft as The Chef of Mama Lena's Italian Kitchen from his Mother, Mama Lena. When Mama Lena retired, Salvino and Margo together operated Mama Lena's with continued love and attention to Guests. In the 80's, Salvino and Margo changed pace into Specialized Catering and served their public in a very different format. For the Last 3 Years, they have dedicated themselves to transferring their Treasured Recipes to Dinner-Size Recipes that Everyone can now experience and enjoy! Salvino and Margo had promised Guests that one day they would write Their Story~Cookbook, and name it, "A Pinch of This and A Pinch of That." Here It Is! Enjoy!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like a meal with Mom in her kitchen,
By Vincent DePaul (Bloomingdale, ILL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Pinch of This and A Pinch of That (Paperback)
Lots of people called Lena Modonna "Mama Lena" but I got to call her "Gramma." My mother, Anna, was the oldest of Mama's children. Her family was her life and cooking was her way of keeping her family together. Mama Lenna's Italian Kitchen Restaurant was opened because of her love for her youngest son, Salvino. Sure, she loved to cook, but my Uncle had a passion for it. He just loved serving and entertaining his friends, which included just about everyone he ever met. When you walked into that restaurant you became a dear friend. A remarkable feature of the restaurant is that there was no menu. When you got there, you ate what Mama Lena cooked that night. It was always wonderful but the choice was Mama's, not yours. It was like eating a family meal with your mom in her kitchen. This cookbook is more than just a story about the life of a unique restaurant ... it's a story about what put the life into it. That tiny Chicago restaurant was embraced by thousands of friends and family and this book will be embraced by thousands more. Buy it for the wonderful recipes and read it for the stories of Mama Lena and this Fairytale Italian Restaurant.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pass the Chianti!,
By Sam Weller (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Pinch of This and A Pinch of That (Paperback)
This cookbook is so filled with heart and joy and great food it gets my strongest recommendation. Based on the recipes from the fabled Chicago restaurant of the 1970s, Mama Lena's Italian Kitchen, this is the best Italian food you'll ever have. Period. My wife and I made the Sausage with Brown Sugar Peppers and it was a heavenly delight! Best of all, it was amazingly easy to prepare. Margo Madonna has done a wonderful job of writing these recipes down so that anyone can make them. But what really makes this book special is the love and affection that went into every word on the page. Salvino and Margo Madonna have done the memory of Mama Lena proud. What a great book!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What Your Mother-In-Law Wouldn't Share,
By Kara Cook Giles (Chicago) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Pinch of This and A Pinch of That (Paperback)
Salvino and Margo have enriched my life and the lives of my seven sons by sharing their recipes. I tried for 13 years to get my Sicilian mother-in-law to give me her recipe for her "sugu "(gravy...that's Italian pasta sauce to you non-Italians). She never would tell me her secret ingredients. This book has her recipe! The other recipes and the stories behind them are a treasure. They say you can't go home again...but with this book you can eat as though you were home again. Molto bene!
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