Dedications
The first time ever I saw her face...
It was a warm July afternoon.
I was attending an early wedding. My cousin had just gotten
married and the reception was at the famous Lucy’s Italian Restaurant
in Yorktown, New York. It was Lucy’s daughter who had gotten
married. The restaurant had closed for the day and the party guests
occupied the inside of the building and spilled outside. The band was
set up in the parking lot, the food and music flowed all afternoon. By
5:30 in the evening, guests began to say their good-byes.
It was the last day of a week-long vacation for me and the
car was on its way to bring me to the airport. As I sat waiting,
I looked across the parking lot and there she was. She was
young and beautiful. All I could do was stare. My ride would
arrive any minute and I would be on my way back to South
Florida. The car came soon after and as I climbed in, the driver
turned to me and said, “There’s no more room. You’ll have to wait for another car.” That was okay
by me. I was enjoying watching the beautiful woman from across the parking lot. I had to meet her. I
could not get her off my mind.
It didn’t take me long to decide to stay a few extra days. So I cancelled my flight, walked up to
her, introduced myself and started some small talk. Ten minutes later I asked her out on a date. She
declined, but I would not take no for an answer. So I did what all macho men do, I went and got a
family member to ask her. It took a lot of family intervention but within an hour she said ‘ok’ and I
mean just ‘ok’. We went to an Italian feast and by the end of the night I knew she was the one.
Special Thanks
To God for His inspiration and vision.
‘With God all things are possible.’ —Matthew 19:26
To my mom Nicki,
thank you Mom for showing me the kitchen
and teaching me to make a great sauce.
To my mother in-law Phyllis,
thank you for forcing me to come up with
new menus for all your parties.
I stayed for another week and we went out every night. By the end of the week, I was in love. The
girl I only imaged in my dreams was there in front of me. Three years later I married her. 25 years
later we celebrated our silver anniversary. We have raised four wonderful children and have built the
kind of life dreams are made of. I love her more today than I ever have. I dedicate this book to my
wife: the woman who has loved me for who I am, the woman who inspired me “To Romance”, the
woman who God hand picked just for me.
To my four children,
Stephanie, Anthony, Teresa and Dominic,
thank you for tolerating me for two and a half years while I was writing this book.
Thanks also for taste-testing all the recipes. I know how hard it must have been to eat all those savory meals!
4
5
To you Denise. You have been the one who has made “Romance” so much fun. This book would
not have been written if not for you.
I lift my glass,
enise, ,
To D Love
with
d
Davi
To Janet Swann,
thank you for constantly bugging
me to write a cookbook—now
you won’t have to call me every
week for a new recipe!