FROM SCRATCH
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home is a poignant and transformative cross-cultural love story set against the backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, about how one woman discovered the healing powers of food, family and unexpected grace in her darkest hour.
An incredible journey through Tembi’s life, the book tracks her relationship with her late husband, Saro through three summers spent in the Sicilian countryside. In this sweeping story, we see Tembi and Saro’s initial introduction on the streets of Florence, Italy, their move to Los Angeles as they forge a life together despite disapproval from Saro’s traditional Sicilian parents, and the rare illness that upends everything they thought they knew about family and forgiveness. Ultimately, Tembi’s tribulations lead her back to the Sicilian countryside and her mother-in-law’s table, where with the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close-knit community, and the power of enduring love, she finds the strength to step into a new life.
Complete with 16 recipes drawn from Tembi and Saro’s culinary adventures, From Scratch is a stunning debut for anyone who has dared to reach for big love and fight for what matters most. It is a New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick. The Netflix limited series inspired by From Scratch is set to be released 2022. Tembi is co-creator of the series and serves as its executive producer.
FROM SCRATCH
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home is a poignant and transformative cross-cultural love story set against the backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, about how one woman discovered the healing powers of food, family and unexpected grace in her darkest hour.
An incredible journey through Tembi’s life, the book tracks her relationship with her late husband, Saro through three summers spent in the Sicilian countryside. In this sweeping story, we see Tembi and Saro’s initial introduction on the streets of Florence, Italy, their move to Los Angeles as they forge a life together despite disapproval from Saro’s traditional Sicilian parents, and the rare illness that upends everything they thought they knew about family and forgiveness. Ultimately, Tembi’s tribulations lead her back to the Sicilian countryside and her mother-in-law’s table, where with the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close-knit community, and the power of enduring love, she finds the strength to step into a new life.
Complete with 16 recipes drawn from Tembi and Saro’s culinary adventures, From Scratch is a stunning debut for anyone who has dared to reach for big love and fight for what matters most. It is a New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick. The Netflix limited series inspired by From Scratch is set to be released 2022. Tembi is co-creator of the series and serves as its executive producer.
parenthood, and ultimately the loss of her husband, Saro. She learns to heal
in the most beautiful way--- through the support of three generations of women---
and yes, there’sItalian food. Lots and lots of Italian food!”
experiences of Sicily. She offers a peek into her deeply satisfying relationship with her daughter, her husband, and
their family. When she compares cheese-making to grief, describing how both need ‘time, labor, and attention,’ she offers
a new perspective on an age-old emotion. Even her description of the classic Los Angeles fog feels fresh.”
it is also a celebration of love, food, care-giving, and family.”
summers in Italy after the death of her husband… She concludes with more than a dozen
Sicilian recipes that filled her with memories of Saro. Locke’s’ raw and heartfelt memoir
will uplift readers suffering from the loss of their own loved ones.”
does she describe her unique experiences and the universal ups and downs of life.”
in the face of such loss is incredibly moving, as is her openhearted curiosity about a place that was not, initially,
especially welcoming to her… Candid, wise, and with a flair for vivid metaphors, she is also a beautiful and
powerful writer… Tembi Locke’s moving, vivid, memoir is an epic cross cultural romance, a tragedy,
a tale of self-discovery, and, beat of all, a testament to the simple healing powers of good food.”
with hope and inspiration. There is both great beauty to be found within loss, and also the opportunity
for transformation for those who let life truly break them open. In this unforgettable memoir, Tembi
shows us how powerful-- and ultimately uplifting-- that journey can be. You will be
forever changed for having turned these pages.”
TEDx speaker Locke offers a warm memoir of romance, wrenching loss, and healing.”
And Locke is a strong, joyful woman; a veteran actor who it turns out is a poet.”
from home. In From Scratch, Tembi Locke writes movingly about loss, grief,
and the healing miracle of food.”
a celebration of love, food, caregiving and family.”
If your book club is reading From Scratch, and/ or you’d like to dive deeper into the book’s experience, download the free From Scratch Reader’s Guide today to gain access to discussion questions, ideas on how to enhance your book club, and a Q&A with author Tembi Locke.
