This family cookbook morphed into much more for me during the writing process. It began by contacting friends and family to collect recipes for what I thought would be a simple process. During those conversations and with my own memories, a flood of personal history evolved in my mind. What began as a repository of food recipes became much more to me, and I decided to collect the process in the form of this book, The Diary of a Mad Chef, to also include photos of those people and selected short stories. Food has always been the center of our family's common narrative thread, and I attempted to place the face and the stories of my friends and family with the recipes as I remember them. Along with the feedback and photos from my friends and family, it became a two-year-long effort to compile, edit, and publish this book. The journey has been a magnificent experience for me, and I am grateful to have had the time and opportunity to write this book.

THE DIARY OF A MAD CHEF

"A COLLECTION OF CULINARY TREASURES AND SHORT STORIES"By Daniel DellaVecchia

Trafford Publishing

Copyright © 2012 Daniel DellaVecchia
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4669-4301-8

Contents

AUTHOR'S NOTE..............................................................xiTHE BACKSTORY..............................................................xxiiiDEDICATIONS AND THANKS.....................................................xxviiCHAPTER ONE MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS.........................................1CHAPTER TWO GRANNY, GRAMPS AND THE JERSEY SHORE...........................137CHAPTER THREE OUR MOM, AKA "THE HEAD".....................................203CHAPTER FOUR DEREK, EVELINA, AND SOFIA....................................273CHAPTER FIVE JAMES, NICOLE, ADRIANNA, AND AUTUMN ROSE.....................333CHAPTER SIX BROTHER STEVE AND FAMILY......................................419CHAPTER SEVEN BROTHER TOM AND COUSINS.....................................471CHAPTER EIGHT IN MEMORIUM.................................................575

Chapter One

My Family and Friends

1. An Ode To Kim and George

In the fall of 1977 my parents moved into a large house in the wealthy section of Kearny, NJ. At the time I was restless and unfocused. I worked at Port Elizabeth as a day laborer with my Cousin Linda's boyfriend. The job paid at the end of the day $50.00 cash money, good money back then. At night I bartended at the local pub, the same pub I shined shoes at when I was a kid, more cash money. The "off the books" jobs allowed me to collect unemployment for one year from my work down the Jersey Shore during the summer season. The sum total of all three incomes provided me $600.00 per week. That is if the tips were good that week at the pub!

My parents recently sold our two multi-family homes on Highland Avenue in Kearny and we moved into the upscale section of town known as The Manor. The new house was enormous and I had my own living space on the top floor including a private bathroom and walk-in cedar closet. A far cry from our earlier days of sharing a bedroom with my two brothers!

One Saturday I decided to take a walk around the block and check out the new neighborhood. I noticed a beautiful little blonde-haired girl playing on her lawn near a big corner lot colonial house. I stopped and started chatting with the youngster and her mom appeared in the doorway. That was Kim Billingham, a beautiful women a couple of years my senior with long blonde hair, longer legs and a bright smile. I explained to Kim that I was new to the area and she invited me in for a beer.

Kim was an extremely intelligent and crafty, beautiful blonde with a real common sense. Kim had a difficult childhood and never let her past interfere with her happiness. Kim was the prototypical "hippy mom" of the day and we quickly became family. We sat in her kitchen talking and discovering the common people we knew in Kearny and our likes in music. Music was always playing at their house and music was a major influence in my life since 1968.

Then, into the room steps her husband George bearing a bag of food and more beer. George looked a lot like the late comedian George Carlin, and as I quickly found out, was as good a storyteller. The three of us bonded over a few bears and great music, and a strong friendship was born. I found myself taking frequent walks around the block to hang out with Kim and George. Their daughter Krislyn was a treat to be around.

George was an extreme guy, and didn't aspire to the typical goals of most people. He was not consumed with the concept of making money. George loved music and that became our primary connection. As far back as I could recall, music and lyrics helped me through some dark days and provided enlightenment. I hear music in my head all day long! It's like having a built in IPod. We shared a love of music and George began to teach me about the production process.

George opened the world of music from an insider's perspective. I met amazing people through George. Talented musicians and artists were always around. They respected George's ability to produce their Gig's and his overall music knowledge. George was one of the most intelligent and talented people I have ever known. Unfortunately, like many artists, he shared their common lifestyle flaws and that always caused conflict and drama. George was the older brother I always wanted and I loved him.

Soon after we met, George had an upcoming gig at a local nightclub with a local band. He asked me to assist him with the sound engineering for the gig and I jumped at the chance. We began to get the equipment together: A huge Kelsey mixing board, enormous speakers, microphones, and what seemed like miles of cables. I had become a roadie!

George taught me the nuances of music in terms of its production. Each cable connected to a microphone or instrument and then connected to the mixing board. Then cables from the mixer connected to speakers and sound was born! Each lever, knob adjusted the individual sound, and it was up to the engineer to determine when to raise and lower the sound. It fascinated me to watch George push up a lever and hear the guitar begin to wail, for example.

Perhaps the most famous "sound engineer" of the day was Tom Dowd. Tom worked with Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers, Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson, The Eagles, Aretha Franklin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many more. Without Tom's expertise, we wouldn't have the classic sounds featured in the song Layla and many more! Tom Dowd invented the 8-track method of recording. He was a genius and George provided the same levels of genius to local bands. George was a local legend. It was good times!

George and I worked pretty steady with different bands for several months and I learned quite a bit from him about music. From band practice to gigs I would help George get set up. We had a blast as my friendship grew with George and Kim. She would get a baby sitter on the nights of the gigs and attend the gigs with George and me. George was busy working the sound on the Kelsey mixing board during the set and Kim and I would hang out. George liked that because it kept other guys from hitting on Kim. We became family!

One day I took a stroll to Kim and George's house with a heavy heart. That day my grandfather died. Gramps passed away in his sleep and I was emotionally devastated. Gramps and I formed a tremendous bond during our times together at his Jersey Shore estate and the day-to-day conversations and card playing we both enjoyed as neighbors. My grandparents moved next door to our family when I was young and I practically lived there. Now, Gramps was gone!

Kim and George helped me through the funeral and my grieving period with great love and kindness. They could see in me that it really hurt. A week or so passed after the funeral, and I found myself sitting with Kim and George in their kitchen and having a discussion about the status of my life. I was making money and dating a nice girl, but I thought I could do more. More importantly, I thought I could get more out of life and find my bliss.

George was the perfect advisor for me that day. After a quick assessment of my education and work experience, we focused our attention on the local classified ads in the newspaper. We settled on two jobs I could do and probably do well. The first was a plumber's helper, the other a telecommunications installer. George, Kim and I compared the opportunities each offered.

George was a licensed plumber and formerly worked for Ma Bell, the only...