On this past October 12, 2021, renowned chef and author David Ruggerio launched his new cookbook! Ruggerio takes you back to Brooklyn and introduces you to the Italian-American experience and cuisine he knows, grew up with, and adores in his cookbook-A TOMATO GROWS IN BROOKLYN. This humble cuisine reflects a beautiful narrative of joy, sadness, fatigue but always rich in humanity and heritage.
Bryan Miller, the legendary New York Times Food Critic raved- “David Ruggiero has crafted an outstanding book: an evocatively written memoir of a special time and place that nurtured his rise to culinary fame, and a compilation of irresistible family Italian dishes, many with a brazen Brooklyn accent.”
A TOMATO GROWS IN BROOKLYN is full of luscious pictures with more than135 recipes that will make your mouth water. With a bite of Involtini of Eggplant, a taste of Octopus in Warm Vinaigrette, a forkful of Carbonara of Artichoke, a morsel of Gnocchi all’Amatriciana, or a mouthful of Panna Cotta of Orange, Caramel and Figs, you will discover what makes the Italian American cuisine of Brooklyn unique.
Famed chef & owner of Jasper’s, Jasper Mirabile, Jr., Kansas City’s most award-winning restaurant said- “From breakfast to dessert, David takes you through a lifetime journey. At the beginning of the cook book, you feel like you’re in his Brooklyn kitchen with his family. The book is from David’s heart, and so are the recipes, he is proud to be Italian and even prouder to be raised in Brooklyn. A Tomato Grows in Brooklyn is a love story in cooking.”
A TOMATO GROWS IN BROOKLYN will be a 30-PART series on YouTube and TikTok. Follow the cooking and antics of David Ruggerio and the fabulous Italian American cuisine. Along the way, you will meet many of Ruggerio’s famed, funny, and generally interesting friends who make Brooklyn so enjoyable. The series will launch in August 2021. Stay tuned for the launch date and giveaways to celebrate A TOMATO GROWS IN BROOKLYN.
Judith Choate, famed food writer, chef and pioneer in the promotion of American food thought– “Food without its human touch is simply sustenance. In his new cookbook, A Tomato Grows in Brooklyn, Chef David Ruggerio enfolds us with nourishment for the soul which comes when recipes reflect life, family, traditions and the sense of warmth that comes when sitting around the table with those you love. He shares truly inviting traditional Italian recipes with stories that make you laugh, cry and want to get right back into the kitchen!”
DAVID RUGGERIO. Born into one of Italy’s most notorious mafia families, David Ruggerio fought to break free of his destiny to pursue his passion for the culinary arts. In doing so, he became a world-renowned celebrity chef, achieving top honors and fame. His past, however, would not let him go that easily. As a result, his real-life story became one of blood, redemption, and sacrifice against the backdrop of the finest eateries in the world, stardom, and, eventually, a new lease on life as an award-winning genre fiction writer.
Ruggerio rose to the position of top chef at the famous La Caravelle in New York by age 25. He went on to take command of Pierre Cardin’s New York outpost of Maxim’s de Paris, where he garnered three stars from The New York Times. In 1995, Robert Mondavi, the note vintner, named him one of the thirteen best young chefs in America.
With two acclaimed cookbooks under his belt, David Ruggerio became known as a “Super Chef” and was called for television guest spots that quickly became opportunities. He hosted the iconic TV shows Ruggerio to Go on the Food Network and Little Italy with David Ruggerio on PBS. Throughout his outstanding career as a chef, Ruggerio cooked for five US Presidents.