Hi there, happy Thursday!

Recording this week’s episode with John Bersani reminded me why I started Salt + Spine in the first place: to sit down with a cookbook author and glimpse their world. We’re often recording in studio—or more often these days, virtually—and it’s easy to miss the small details that make these conversations so alive.

But there’s something grounding about being welcomed into someone’s home kitchen, hearing their stories as the dog runs past or a family member checks in to ask when we’re leaving for lunch. It was a real treat to join John and his family for an afternoon in Chianti. And while recording al fresco may not have produced the crispest audio, it offered something you can’t replicate in a studio: an honest glimpse into a life built around food, friendship, and place.

I hope you enjoy our chat:

The first thing I notice at John Bersani’s home in Gaiole in Chianti is the view. I’m so enamored by the rolling hills dotted with vines and olive trees that I miss the driveway. Finally, I find the right entryway, am greeted by John, and we settle next to the pool to record our conversation.

A lifelong cook and host, John built a career in business before turning toward what truly grounded him: food and community. His cookbook—20 Amici 40 Ricette: Twenty Friends, Forty Recipes—is not a chef’s manifesto or a guide to Tuscan cuisine, but a love letter to the community he and his family have made there. Each chapter introduces a friend who’s shaped his life in Italy, paired with one or two recipes that carry the imprint of that relationship.

In our conversation, John talks about growing up in an Italian-American family in Syracuse, New York, where Sundays smelled like simmering sauce. He recalls his grandparents’ small-town kitchens and the rituals that endured even after they left their old neighborhood for the suburbs. And he reflects on the years spent straddling two identities—American and Italian—and learning to see his adopted home from both sides of the table.

We talk, too, about the rules of Italian cooking and how to bend them. About why Tuscan bread is famously unsalted. About the importance of shopping well. About how the right techniques transform a simple pasta into something magical.

🎙️ | We’ve got a great chat with John—and of course, we put him to the test in our culinary game, asking him to create impromptu Tuscan dishes from surprise ingredients! Find this episode here on Substack and anywhere you get your podcasts.

20 Amici, 40 Ricette: Friends and Food from the Heart of Chianti by John Bersani

Experience what it’s like to not only eat in Tuscany, but also how it feels to live there. With traditional Tuscan recipes, heartwarming stories, and insider’s tips from local chefs and family cooks in 20 Amici – 40 Ricette you’ll learn—and taste—why that translates to 20 Friends, 40 Great Recipes.

Feel like you’re wandering the streets of Gaiole, a Tuscan village named “One of Europe’s Most Idyllic Places to Live” by Forbes, as you meet local chefs who share their stories and recipes, from a creamy Risotto Semplice (basic risotto) to a tantalizing Branzino al Forno (whole roasted Mediterranean sea bass). Bring a taste of authentic Italian cooking to your kitchen and a touch of Tuscany to your home with the tales from locals who will feel like friends.

We 💚 local bookstores. Pick up your copy of 20 Amici, 40 Ricette here:

Bookshop // Omnivore Books

This week, paid Substack subscribers will receive these two featured recipes from 20 Amici, 40 Ricette—subscribe today to get cooking!

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