Not so long ago, Italian food was regarded as a poor man's gruel—little more than pizza, macaroni with sauce, and red wines in a box. Here, John Mariani shows how the Italian immigrants to America created, through perseverance and sheer necessity, an Italian-American food culture, and how it became a global obsession. Featuring evil villains such as the Atkins diet and French chefs, this is a rollicking tale of how Italian cuisine rose to its place as the most beloved fare in the world, through the lives of the people who led the charge. Full of savory anecdotes from top chefs and resturateurs including Mario Batali, Danny Meyer, Tony Mantuan, Nigella Lawson, and many others, the book also goes inside famous restaurants such as Da Spiaggia, Piaggia, Union Square Cafe, Rao's and others.