Primi Piatti

From Mekele, Ethiopia to Santa Barbara, California, Mollie Ahlstrand has led a vivacious and individualistic life. But it was on a family trip to Italy, when she fell so in love with the Italian way of cooking. Mollie has since studied under world renowned Italian chefs such as Gianfranco Vissani in Baschi and Chef Roberta in Bologna. She learned to prepare ciabatta in Padova, a tradition handed down from the Italian chefs of 100 years past. Chef Mollie has since opened Trattoria Mollie’s, in Montecito, California, cooked for the likes of President Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, and recently re-opened her restaurant on State Street in Santa Barbara, California as, simply, Mollie’s.

Of her cuisine, Mollie says, “I want to share my knowledge of cooking, and, as I observed in my training, of how Italians eat and enjoy their meals, gathering all together around the table and sharing daily life conversations.”

In this beloved cookbook, Chef Mollie explains to the modern home cook how the true Italian method of cooking, with an emphasis on fresh, organic vegetables, high quality ingredients, lean protein, and smart food preparation and storage, can be achieved by anyone, anywhere, and even on a limited budget. Follow Mollie across the world, from one continent to the next, from the farmer’s market to the chef’s restaurant, from the garden to the home kitchen, and experience the joy of Italian cuisine as Mollie Ahlstrand sees it, in Trattoria Mollie’s Primi Piatti: First Course.