She naturally gravitated to the idea of cooking and overcame a life of poverty and hardships in order to fulfill her dream. Despite objections from family and friends, persecution for simply being "different, " both as an immigrant and as a woman, Mrs. Curatolo and her husband, Jack, accomplished what they set out to do. Twenty-three years later, they are still going strong. Their two Gioachinno's restaurants claim a large following of faithful and loyal customers.

In her thought provoking autobiography, Mrs. Curatolo delightfully blends her recipes for success with satisfying delicious, homemade recipes of some of the most popular dishes in her restaurants. Also, Mrs. Curatolo demonstrates through her life and through her actions that in order to succeed in life a person must never give up on making their dream a reality. Mrs. Curatolo also believes that a person must always give to others with the expectation of getting nothing in return, and must never stop giving 100% in whatever it is they want to do.

For those who are fans of this Chicago-based restaurant's mouth-watering meals, as well as for the person who is looking for support and encouragement in his or her life, this book will appeal to the reader's appetite.