I can't cook most of these recipes (Campanaro loves his meat and I cook mostly vegetarian, and I also cook gluten free, which this book is definitely not) but that doesn't stop me from appreciating everything about it. The author is a celebrated chef with several restaurants (The Tiny Owl is the one most often mentioned in this book, which happens to be downstairs from the famous apartment from Friends). He talks often of his Italian American upbringing in Philadelphia and the book is filled with stories, memories, cooking lessons, and amazing food that will take you hours to cook but will be worth it. Color photos accompany about half the recipes. A fantastic resource.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

Caution: Do not read while hungry. Everything sounds delicious!

This cookbook is for serious eaters. And serious chefs!

I love the format - with straight talk about ingredients and cooking essentials. I love the stories behind the chef and his recipes. I love the photography - of the food and of the Little Owl restaurant. And I love the range of categories and recipes within each.

What I do not love is the amount of cooking required for each recipe. Ha! I would love to eat at Little Owl. And I would love to have Joey Campanaro cook for me any day of the week. I’m just not sure that I am up for cooking any of these recipes myself. The nuances and details are all perfect ... it just seems like a lot of work for the average home cook. Still, the cookbook would be a wonderful addition to any collection.

Beautiful, well-organized cookbook with mouth-watering pictures. I can't wait to try out some of these recipes!!

Nice book! Very well organized and the photos are mouth-watering! It looks like a grandma cookbook! There are some recipes that I would try to recreate but honestly I would prefer going to their restaurant to eat it there. The recipes seems a little hard for everyday cooking, I would make them for special occasions. The instructions are long but well explained. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

I wasn’t familiar with the Little Owl restaurant before hearing about this book. I’m now absolutely sure that I’d love to eat there.

I wanted to check out this cookbook because the Pork Chop with Parmesan Butter Beans sounded amazing. And wait till you see the picture.

Speaking of pictures, I sound like a broken record but I always think cookbooks could benefit from more pictures. That’s the case here too.

I thought many of the recipes sounded delicious but some of then sounded like a major time investment. So, this cookbook is geared more towards people willing to put extra time into making a really nice dinner. I love to cook, and I respect that time investment, but I’d like to just go to his restaurant and eat the amazing Looking dish with manicotti style crepes.

I liked the way the recipes included little stories. They had a little paragraph or so of a back story, it was interesting without being too much.

The way the chef “talks” makes me feel like I can trust him to explain the recipes’ steps to me.

There’s a green bean recipe called Sesame Green Beans that I may try tonight .

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

Let’s just say I hope this tiny little restaurant made it through this pandemic because I can’t say enough about this cookbook. I would love to sit at a table and order some of these mouth watering recipes. I am so absolutely amazed and hungry after making it through this cookbook not to mention humbled.

What did I like? I’m Italian food lover at heart and the combination of recipes..pictures, and stories just make this a wonderful book. There is all sorts of tidbits and founts of information in this book that just make me want it, not to mention the mouth watering pictures. The author also includes stories of his child hood and how the Little Owl restaurant came to be. How to butcher a chicken, and a cute song playlist. I just fell in love with this cookbook and added to my wish list on amazon! It doesn’t come out until September but I can’t wait to try the recipes.

Would I recommend or buy? YES...YES...YES. It’s on my buy list and I’m definitely getting a copy. All the recipes look delicious and it’s a five star recommendation too. The stories pull me in, the recipes look amazing, and given the fact that you could potentially visit the restaurant just makes this a winning combo. I just fangirl it... looks positively divine.

Thoughts for the author? I would love a signed copy! I rarely get an author to respond to my reviews but it does occasionally occur ...but this is one author I would love a copy from. Five amazing cookbook stars. Loved everything about it. Thanks so much for a sneak peek! Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion!

This cookbook was more than just a "cookbook." In addition to crisp/clean photography and being well-organized, I loved the shoutouts to mom/mom-mom, the photos from the past/present, and the anecdotes. Campanaro celebrates big love cooking...and bringing people together for a delicious meal-- because that's what eating and living well are all about. I'm looking forward to trying out more than a few recipes. In fact...I'm hungry now.

I really liked this cookbook, especially due to all the yummy recipes and great photos. It's a bit pasta oriented, but as a pasta lover, I didn't mind at all. One of the recipes I'd love to try is the Spaghetti and Clams, and I'm really tempted to purchase a physical copy of this book.

This whole book felt like a homemade meal at grandma’s house. It’s warm & inviting, a lot of food to share & eat, everyone telling stories. I love it! The recipes are easy to follow, there’s pictures, and there’s a variety of dishes to choose from. Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for an ebook ARC. This is my honest review.

Sometimes a cookbook is more than a cookbook. Foodies love cookbooks, and foodies love reading about food and recipes. Foodies especially love cooking out of good cookbooks, and Joey Campanaro, restaurateur and lifelong lover of cooking, has written a cookbook to satisfy all of a foodie’s needs. Big Love Cooking: 75 Recipes for Satisfying, Shareable Comfort Food has dozens of mouthwatering Italian dishes from Campanaro’s childhood, but also includes plenty of non-Italian recipes that he serves at his restaurants.

Campanaro has included a section on ingredients, basic equipment, and some of his thoughts on food – not too much, so it’s easy to read through. Then to the recipes which have a story, vignette, or explanation before every recipe. This makes it a fun read, even if one isn’t cooking. But as readers get further in the book, the recipes will inspire anyone to make a recipe or two. Although there aren’t pictures of every recipe, there are beautiful photographs of many of the dishes, making it impossible to forego cooking. There are also photographs of Campanaro’s neighborhood. The actual recipes are easy-to-follow, some with a few notes from the author to insure success. Most of the recipes are simple, too, making it possible for everyone to successfully make the recipes. Some successful chefs write cookbooks that intimidate the reader and call for difficult-to-find ingredients or difficult cooking skills. Campanaro presents his recipes in such a way that readers will feel that he is just a neighbor giving his recipe to a friend.

Of course the first recipe to make is the signature dish served at The Owl, Campanaro’s restaurant, Gravy Meatball Sliders, and it is absolutely delicious. Adapting the buns to the automatic bread machine saved time, and the meatballs and sauce were simple. This recipe is reason enough to own this fun cookbook. Foodies everywhere will want to add this cookbook to their cookbook shelf, and since there is something here for everyone, cooks everywhere will want to pick it up.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.