This book was published in 2017 I am just getting to doing my review. I reread this book again and from what I remembered the first time I still I the same thoughts. The author goes over recipes and memories from the times he shared with his mother and from trying to recreate the recipes that he has.
Really for me this really reminded me of when I was younger and cooking with my father, learning our family recipes while at the same time he would tell stories of his grandparents and how they came over from Italy and him cooking with his grandmother. For the true food person who still loves to cook and where cooking and eating is about family, telling stories is one way to find out about your history, no different than working with your dad or grandparent on restoring an old car. It is about the love of the person and finding a way to connect with that loved one while they are still with us. The food and recipes, and photos just helped make this story and book so much better especially if you are into food or cooking like I am. I found this to be a wonderful book. Very much worth the read.

I love the format of this book, and any food memoir makes me hungry. Add the pictures in the book and I love it! I don't cook, ever, from any food memoir, but it's still fun to read. The author's mother seems like a gem and a person you want to hang out with and have her serve you with something delicious she makes. I enjoyed this one!

This book was fabulous ~ a wonderful foodie memoir and ode to his mother, a woman who sounds like one of the most marvelous characters on earth. So happy I read this book.

A genuinely touching tribute to Peter’s mother, and an intimate and laugh out loud tale of their close relationship. If you have any interest in food, or mothers, or better yet, both, give this a read. It gets better by the page, and you’ll be sorry when it’s over, but emotionally well fed. I read my cookbooks front to back like a novel so this book with a story was a real treat

This wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it is the story of an extraordinary woman told with great honesty and humor by her son.

Readers who enjoyed Will Schwalbe's The End of Your Life Book Club will find another heartfelt ode to an aging but inspiring mother in Peter Gethers's My Mother's Kitchen. While Schwalbe shared books with his mother, Gethers finds ties through food and recipes. In reading about Judy Gethers connections to the food world, I was surprised I hadn't heard of this phenom who knew Wolfgang Puck and Julia Child, inspired chefs, and wrote cookbooks (independently and with other cooks/chefs). While the name-dropping may grow tiring for some, it feels authentic (the stories never feel like they're being told for the sake of mentioning the who's who of the food world). However, Gethers's memoir shines brightest not through the stories of great chefs, but when he is sharing the food DNA (aided thoughtfully by photographs) of his own family through the legendary Jewish restaurant they owned in New York or the recipes and drinks he enjoyed with his mother and aunts.

What lacks a bit is the structure of the book. From a food perspective, it makes sense - Judy Gethers organizes her favorite foods and recipes into a menu starting with breakfast and ending with dessert and drinks; Peter Gethers intends to cook her these meals in this order and write about them accordingly. Unfortunately, because his life stories don't follow this order, the chronology jumps around (an early recipe may correspond to his adult life while a later recipe may be from his childhood). As a result, many life events are touched upon multiple times while other areas of their lives are only vaguely referenced.

As a whole, the book is enjoyable. Gethers is at turns sentimental, irreverent, witty, and observant, but always sincere in his love of food and his mother.

A celebration of life, family, food, and finding yourself no matter your age. The author celebrates the life of his mother who found her passion in cooking after her children were grown by trying to create her perfect meals.

I thought this memoir was interesting, funny, engaging, and emotional. I loved the photos, family, and the history. The recipes throughout the book were perfectly positioned in the story and Gethers really has a way with words. I would recommend this book to all and especially those who have a love for food and cooking. 4****