Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mother Sauce beautifully captures the essence and soul of Italian cooking, blending traditional recipes with rich cultural history. Quinn masterfully brings to life the experiences of immigrant Italian women, emphasizing the kitchen as their creative haven. Her engaging narrative, coupled with practical advice—from pantry stocking to butchering a chicken—makes this book invaluable, especially for those newer to cooking.

Quinn enhances each recipe with inviting introductions, personal family variations, and insightful "Aspetta" tidbits, offering valuable context and helpful storage tips. The photography complements the text perfectly, showcasing authentic home-cooked dishes. Fun historical surprises, like the Italian immigrant origins of the Philly Cheesesteak, enrich the reader’s experience.

A delightful blend of history, practical advice, and flavorful recipes, Mother Sauce is an excellent resource for anyone passionate about Italian cuisine. Highly recommended for cooks of all levels. 5 stars. Thank you to Artisan Books | Artisan and NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book, which was just released on March 11, 2025.

The preface and the photos to go with it gave us a short glimpse into the life of the author's great grandmother. Throughout the book these stories unfold and we learn more about the women that ultimately created Italian American cuisine. The author said, "rarely are these women actually credited as the real founders of the cooking that became known as Italian American. this is their story." That line stuck with me as I read through the cookbook and admired the stories and recipes from these women. There is so much history and love poured into this book, I am truly grateful to have read it. Its a heartfelt reminder of the women who shaped our lives and the food they created.

Now don't let the name mislead you there is more than just sauce recipes found in this cookbook! I cannot wait to try out these recipes and with it honor the women they came from. I love when there is a further reading included in a cookbook that not only shares recipes but cultural background and stories. The shopping resources was one I have not seen before and I was pleasantly surprised that one such market was near my home!

Thank you to Artisan Books and NetGalley for the ARC! ♥

This is a fantastic authentic Italian cookbook with gorgeous photos for nearly every recipe. The author tells family stories and Italian cooking history throughout. The recipes are traditional with whole food ingredients like heavy cream, fresh herbs and homemade (easy) ricotta, but they are modern in calling for things like canned tomatoes and lots of meat (which the author points out was a rare treat originally for Italian peasants). There is no nutritional information and I usually dock a star for that, but it’s such a great cookbook otherwise that I let it go. While this is opulent food, it doesn’t tend to call for a lot of ingredients and dishes generally come together fairly quickly. There are definitely special occasion recipes as well.

I read a temporary digital loan of this cookbook for review.

"Lucinda Scala Quinn cooks classic Italian-American recipes, and along the way shares their origin and gives credit to the incredible women who developed our cherished Italian dishes."

This is a wonderful book that showcases the Italian-American dishes that have become popular all around the world, and the women who developed these dishes as frugal immigrant housewives. There's lots of great advice, from time management, to designating helpers, to keeping the kitchen orderly as you cook, in case you didn't have an Italian nonna to teach you!

There are soups, sauces, main dishes, baked dinners, fish, salads, street food, and desserts that showcase the Italian-American experience. And the cookies! Yum. A delicious addition to anyone who loves a good sauce.

I received a free ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.