Parm to Table: Italian American and American Italian Recipes from Ponza to the Bronx

Italian-American cookbooks are not in short supply—but this one brings something new to the table: a Bronx-born perspective grounded in family, memory, and the joy of feeding people well.

Christian Petroni grew up in a tight circle of restaurant kitchens and home kitchens, splitting his time between the Bronx and the Italian island of Ponza. Now a professional chef with a Food Network following, he keeps the tone of this book casual and unpretentious—focused on bold flavors and family-style generosity.

Most of the 70+ recipes are well within reach of home cooks, whether you’re making sausage and peppers for a weeknight dinner or assembling a lasagna for a crowd. Some dishes take time (his eggplant parm needs an hour to rest before serving), but none feel fussy or out of step with a real kitchen.

There’s a mix of Italian-American favorites, weeknight meals, and recipes drawn from Petroni’s Ponza summers—plus the kind of sauces, sandwiches, and sweets that round out a warm, carb-rich table. Clear instructions and lush photographs help make the food feel both celebratory and doable.

This is a cookbook for people who want to cook with both hands and with heart—messy counters, red sauce splatters, and all.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout,