Micheline
Grossi Lombardi is a Rhode Island
College graduate. Her professional career in community corrections
spanned 40 years, the last 22 years in Probation and Parole retiring
in 2011 as a Probation and Paroles Supervisor. Known for her skill
in the kitchen, at the age of five, she made Pastina in
an act of rebellion for her refusal to eat Pasta e Fagiole;
by age 10 she had mastered Veal Marsala. Married in the
middle of an undercover sting operation, she honed her culinary
skills on family, friends and felons.
Started as a column
in a small-town newspaper, Mangia with Micheline combines
generations of Italian-American flavors and traditions with heartwarming,
humorous and remarkable personal tales that celebrate those memories
shared around the family dining room and kitchen. From family
inspired spins on classic dishes like Veal Osso Buco, Chicken
Piccata, and Calamari Ripieni to homespun tales of
growing up in Providence's celebrated Italian neighborhoods and
living undercover as a gangster's moll, Mangia with Micheline
is a journey of life and discovery told through stories, recipes,
family photographs and proud Italian-American traditions.
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Mangia
with Micheline started as a simple article about life and food,
but it became so much more. It became a journey during which my
mother shared her wisdom, stories, encouragement, recipes and
love to make this book a reality. I was belssed not only to know
her as my mom, but also as a woman and my best friend. How wonderful
it was to see her life's journey through her eyes. Her attitude
was always positive, she handled hardships with grace and courage,
and tought her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren
by her example. My mother safeguarded our secrets, freely shared
her wisdom, never intruded, and was steadfast in her love. Mary
Bevelaqua Grossi was a beloved sister, aunt and cousin to the
Bevelaqua Family.
I have chosen to be consistent
throughout the book using the spelling of Bevelaqua as it appeared
on my mother's birth certificate, knowing that within the family
it is also spelled Bevelacqua and Bevilacqua. Whatever way it's
spelled, it's my fabulous family and I love them all.
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