Not My Mother's Kitchen    by Rob Chirico Order:  USA  Can Charlesbridge, 2016 (2016) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch The memoir part of this volume is passable at best. It provides the glue that holds the culinary parts together and provides a break between the seventy plus recipes that make up this Italian cookbook. Personally, I would have rather just had the recipes and skipped the anecdotes about the author's family and childhood. Focusing on why most people might consider purchasing this book, there are sections on sauces and stock, soups, salads, sides and so forth, pasta, pizza, and meat dishes. Some of the more interesting recipes that the adventurous cook may wish to try include Spaghetti con Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino; Meatloaf with Wild Mushrooms; Florentine Griller Steak; or a Griller Sausage and Pepper and Penne Salad. Unlike so many Italian chefs, Rob Chirico grew up in a household where his mother was an assassin in the kitchen when it came to preparing ethnic meals. 'Enjoying Italian food at home was a rarity,' he explains in the book's introduction, but somehow he managed to learn to become an award winning chef. That's all well and good but not information we really need foisted on us in great detail throughout the book. Everyone would have been better served if Chirico had just provided the recipes and withheld the personal anecdotes which were supposed to be humorous but often missed the mark! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews