Allesandra Benvenuti shares the joy of her inheritance of sun and cooking and
family in this charming book about growing up Tuscan. Contains
authentic Tuscan family and regional recipes. She was born in 1969 in Arezzo -Tuscany. In spring 2001
she started her own business, the best in the world: she rents her
family villa in the Tuscan countryside where she hosts guests from all
around the world! She has a degree in political science and studied
racial discrimination in the USA, particularly Supreme Court's
decisions. She is married to Massimo Boncompagni and they have 2
children: Federico 12 years old, and Elena 8 years old. Visit La Maestà
at http://www.lamaestatoscana.com.
Here's a snippet from an upcoming book by Alessandra Benvenuti who combines life with cooking in a totally original way! "Even those beloved people who have passed away are kept alive by a memory of a particular food, the way it was cooked in the past and how it’s done now. It’s not just about some ingredients mixed in a rational way following a process, it’s an alchemy of love that memory keeps alive with smells and tastes we are able to recreate every time. "I’ve carefully and jealousy kept gorgeous sets of dishes, silverware, cutlery, crystal glasses from the ‘20s that belonged to my Grandma Lelli and to Aunt Lina that I still use on special occasions with family, friends and my guests at La Maestà. But I’ve also kept simple dishes, wooden or marble rolling pins, tools, pots, lids, some of them fixed by my Grandpa Giorgio, that I still use every day … and every day and every time they bring me back to people I loved. "Still cooking recipes that my family have always cooked before, it’s like having them beside me, continuing together the long journey of life."
Discover Alessandra Benvenuti here at LA MAESTÀ TOSCANA, located in the central part of Tuscany.
At the base of the low mountain range Steigerwald, in a fertile little hollow called the Edelgraben, there once stood a sheep farm. The first inkling of this farm appears in the Dachsbach registry in 1450 as ‘Sigartzhoffe’ belonging to a man named Peter Sighart. The good man paid a chicken and some grain to settle his taxes. Over the years, thorough searches in the archives have produced a few registry entries, a sentence here, a mere crumb of information there, regarding this mysterious farm: Sigartshoff, Sycharczhoff, Sichartshof. According to an undated entry in the Dachsbach registry that is believed to be before the Thirty Years War, around the year 1600, the little farm had grown into an accumulation of acreage of farmed fields, grasslands, and ponds for farming fish. A patrician from Nuremberg named Sebald Tucher is then documented as having owned Sichartshof in 1629. He bought the farm from the widow Margarethe Hansen and had acquired more land to work. By this time, Sichartshof lay unprotected in the Aisch River Valley, the valley a well-travelled route for mercenary troops involved in the Thirty Years War. Why would Sebald Tucher leave Nuremberg, a city protected behind massive, impenetrable walls, and move out to a country manor amid this time of agitation? Did he want to hunt? Did he want to drink? Did he need the products that the farm could yield for his family in Nuremberg? How did he live? Who lived there with him? This forgotten hamlet is the inspiration for the farm named Sichardtshof in the historical novel series Heaven's Pond. For the answer to these questions and more, read the historical novel The Master and the Maid and The Soldier's Return. The forgotten hamlet comes alive again, its story just waiting to be told!
The year is 1626. A senseless war rips through parts of Germany. Ongoing animosity between the Catholics and the Protestants has turned into an excuse to destroy much of the landscape situated between France, Italy and Denmark. But religion only plays a minor role in this lucrative business of war.
The young dutchman, Pieter van Diemen, returns to Amsterdam in chains after a period of imprisonment in the Spice Islands. He manages to escape but must leave Amsterdam in a hurry. Soldiers are in demand in Germany and he decides to travel with a regiment until he can desert. His hope of survival is to reach Sichardtshof, the farm in Franconia, Germany; the farm he left ten years ago. His desire to seek refuge with them lies in his fond memories of the maid Katarina and her master, the humanist patrician Herr Tucher. But ten years is a long time and the farm has changed. Franconia is not only torn by war but falling victim to a church-driven witch hunt. The Jesuit priest, Ralf, has his sights set on Sichardtshof as well. Ralf believes that ridding the area of evil will be his saving grace. Can Pieter, Katarina and Herr Tucher unite to fight against a senseless war out of control?
Laura Libricz was born and raised in Bethlehem PA and moved to Upstate New York when she was 22. After working a few years building Steinberger guitars, she received a scholarship to go to college. She tried to ‘do the right thing’ and study something useful, but spent all her time reading German literature.
She earned a BA in German at The College of New Paltz, NY in 1991 and moved to Germany, where she resides today. When she isn’t writing she can be found sifting through city archives, picking through castle ruins or aiding the steady flood of musical instruments into the world market. Her first novel, The Master and the Maid, is the first book of the Heaven’s Pond Trilogy. The Soldier’s Return and Ash and Rubble are the second and third books in the series.
Blue Heron Book Works books now available in Kindle!
Did you know you could read our best-loved books for free with the Kindle lending library program? Here's an overview of our titles now available for immediate download:
Tales from the Hot Dog Grill: The Uncensored Memoirs of a Food Service Engineer
by Billy Ehrlacher
"The setting of our tale is Doomsdale" and Jon and Kiki's story goes downhill from there! College students, Jon and Kiki work for the OTHER hot dog stand in Doomsdale and their boss, Wicked Wilma, hires them to go underground and work for the popular competition to discover their secret ingredient....hint: it's not the sauce! A modern day Candide, Jon romps through the absurd world of fast food and concludes it's the WORST of all possible worlds.
About the author:
Billy Ehrlacher obtained a bachelor's degree in theatre from DeSales University. SInce graduating Billy has performed all over the Lehigh Valley as well as in New York City. Some of his past theatre roles include: Robert in Ceiling Art, Forrest in Warped Speed Dating, Lab Tech in Women are From Venus Men are From Uranus, Ahmed in Getting Complete, Barry in Lois's Wedding, Mickey Black in Tony & Tina's Wedding, Sal in Tony & Tina's Wedding, Grumio in Babes in Toyland, Al in The Philadelphia, Snout in a Midsummer Night's Dream, Mike in Dinner With Marney, and Etienne in The Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. and Mohameed in The Tale of the Allergist's Wife among many others. He has performed his well received cabaret act at The Duplex Cabaret Theatre, Don't Tell Mama, and The Laurie Beechman Theatre all in New York City. A civic minded individual Billy is a longtime advocate and a staunch supporterof Downtown Allentown. In 2012 his efforts were awarded with the 2012 Downtown Ambassador Award. Billy also previously hosted his own radio show called, The Billy Show. He is presently working on developing not one but two web soap operas. One has a working title of The Neighborhood, and the other Dumpster City. Billy Ehrlacher resides in Allentown, PA.
