There are some places worth traveling to just for the food: Rome, Venice . . . and now, Birmingham, Italy.

In this companion to his first, best-selling cookbook, the beloved Southern chef Frank Stitt travels to Italy and brings the best of Mediterranean cuisine back home. To Stitt's mind, the two regions—Italy and the American South—share commonalities. Both native cuisines have a tradition of turning humble ingredients—grou... read more>>>

Universally acclaimed by the critics, and now available for the first time in paperback, here is an inspiring, wide-ranging, AZ guide to one of the worlds best-loved cuisines. Designed for cooks and consumers alike, The Oxford Companion to Italian Food covers all aspects of the history and culture of Italian gastronomy, from dishes, ingredients, and delicacies to cooking methods and implements, regional specialties, the universal appeal of Itali... read more>>>

NATE APPLEMAN is executive chef of A16 and SPQR, both in San Francisco, California. In 2007, he was named a rising star chef by the San Francisco Chronicle and was nominated for a James Beard award.

SHELLEY LINDGREN, wine director of A16 and SPQR, teaches wine classes at the Culinary Institute of America and is the wine instructor at Tante Marie's Cooking School in San Francisco, California.

KATE LEAHY is an editor at Restaurants &a... read more>>>