My Italian Country Childhood by Aldo Zilli
My Italian Country Childhood by Aldo Zilli SUMMARY A heart-warming story of a chef’s journey from the hills of Abruzzo to the heart of Soho. With endless enthusiasm, charm and good humour, Alduccio Zilli transformed the way London restaurants were run - and he soon had every major celebrity flocking to his doors. Along the way Zilli survived prison, divorce, health scares and financial collapse. MY REVIEW: This is a light-hearted read about the humble beginnings of Sig Zilli. Born the youngest of eight children to poor Italian farmers. The first few chapters detail the drudgery of life on a farm and the arduous tasks which all the siblings had a duty to perform. Milking the cows, tending the pigs, the chickens and the backbreaking harvesting of olives, grapes and cherries. His mother started her daily chores at dawn, cooking and baking on a woodburning stove with no gas, electricity or running water. His earliest memories are of going to the well to fetch water for h...