Here’s a great opportunity to win a free copy of Bianca’s Vineyard just in time for Christmas.  I met the owner of Viovi Juice at the Italian Festa in Seattle this fall.  Giuseppe Mascarella was a great guy, full of sunshine and energy, just like the new line of  orange juice he sells!  He […]

Like the moment just before pushing off  the top of a water slide, I hear a collective gasp of air as we hurtle our way into the holidays.  It’s great fun, and the warmth of family and friends is precious, but coming out the other side of the holidays relaxed and armed with nostalgic memories is […]

  On Saturday, October 22, at 2:00 in the afternoon, I will be signing copies of my novel at Grassroots Bookstore in Corvallis, Oregon.  For those not familiar with the home of the Oregon State Beavers, Grassoorts is a classic university town bookstore located on SW Second St. across from Francesco’s gelateria. That’s right — gelato.  A […]

Kerry-Lynne Demaris Brown (left)                                            FESTA ITALIA                PORTLAND, OREGON       I was honored to be a part of Portland’s Festa Italia this year.  Great music, food and comraderie!  When I closed my eyes, I felt like I was back in Italy.  For those of you who didn’t make it this […]

Armida Sigali Bertozzi was known to be a great cook.  Recently, Babe discovered one of her mother’s recipes, given to her years ago by Julia Barghini, one of Armida’s few friends in America.  If you make it, let me know how it turns out for you! ARMIDA”S RAVIOLI Dough (better to make a day in […]

Those who have read Bianca’s Vineyard may want to know more about Armida’s real-life employer, Junio Valerio Borghese (aka “The Black Prince”). There is a wealth of information on-line about Borghese, but a short article in The Florentine, a publication of Florence, Italy, encapsulates his controversial life quite well.  Do read it here. Several years […]

  Happy Birthday Violenza! We celebrated Babe’s 94th birthday yesterday. Four generations all together in one house! What a wonderful, memorable time we had with her, as she entertained us on the piano and told stories. I made her a coconut-raspberry cake and since I didn’t have the numerals 9 and 4 for candles, I […]

I’m, quite literally, in Nana Heaven.  My daughter Rachel, and her husband Isaac, gave us the greatest gift when she delivered a beautiful baby boy three weeks ago.  He is my first granchild, and I’m still pinching myself to be sure it’s all real. Liam’s early arrival came as a shock to all of us.  […]

On Sunday, February 20, I was honored to speak at the Tuscan Association of Oregon at the St. Philip Neri Church in Portland.  Carlo Stellati, our cousin’s husband in Italy, had contacted me shortly after the publication of Bianca’s Vineyard to tell me that I absolutely must get in touch with Joe Cavalli, the president […]

How to Speak (Sort of) Like an Italian Some readers have said that they wish they could correctly pronounce the names of some of the people in Bianca’s Vineyard.  I’m not fluent in Italian by any means, but it’s amazing how helpful it is to at least know how to look at a word and […]