The Men of the Pacific Street Social Club Cook: Home-Style Recipes and Unforgettable Stories (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Men's social clubs have defined Italian-American culture for generations. As the author explains, grandmothers and mothers passed on the family recipes to their sons. When the sons grew up, they prepared the family recipes for each other at clubs like Pacific Street Social Club in East New York in Brooklyn. This proud tradition created a sense of community that is still alive today among Italian Americans.

For anyone who loves Italian food (and who doesn't), this food is anything but pretentious -- it's the comfort food so may of us grew up on. With reminiscences of family and friends throughout and nostalgic black and white photographs accompanying the text, The Men of the Pacific Street Social Club Cook feels as much like a treasured keepsake as a cookbook.

About the Author

Gerard Renny comes from a prominent Brooklyn family that includes his granduncle Meade Esposito, chairman of the Democratic Party in Brooklyn from 1969 to 1983. His maternal grandfather and his great-grandparents were Brooklyn restaurateurs, so he literally grew up in the restaurant business. Renny co-owns Brasserie Americaine, at 51 West 64th Street in Manhattan, and Century, one of the premier Art Deco hotels in Miami's South Beach district. He lives in Manhattan and East Hampton with his wife, Carolyn, who is a pastry chef, and three sons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 147 pages
• Publisher: Cookbooks; 1st edition (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688156177
• ISBN-13: 978-0688156176
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #448,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a joy !, December 7, 2000

By	VR "VR" (New England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This cookbook is fantastic! My mom was Italian, and the recipes here are truly authentic. I loved the format of daily recipes, and I spent a week just following along. The stories are wonderful, it is like having a visit back to my old neighborhood of long ago here in Boston. My special recommendations: Joe Red's Chicken Meatball Soup, Bolognese Sauce, BOTH Pasta Puttenescas, Fried Pepper Wet Sandwich, Italian Cheesecake...OH, HECK...JUST TRY THEM ALL !! You will not be disappointed.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Like my Mom's Cooking, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

If my mom who came from Italy had written a cook book, it would have had these recipes. The Cavatelli are super and bring me back to my mom's kitchen every time I make them. The marinara sauce so simple and easy has the truest and clearest flavors of any I've made. When I want to be nostalgic, I reach for this cookbook.. not only to cook from but to read also.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life on Pacific Street, January 1, 2000

By	Appolonia "ET phone home" (Brooklyn) - See all my reviews

I lived across the street from Our Lady of Loretto and went to school with the author, Gerard Renny. This november, my mom Graziella Tirino one of the last true "die hards" finally moved from Pacific St. The recipes and the stories along with the pictures had me thinking back to the old neighborhood and how much fun we used to have. We didn't have much but we had friends, good food and plenty of it. This book and the wonderful receipes are a part of my past and I look forward to sharing it with family and friends. aka Rosetta