Here we go!

Ok, bb's! Here it is! I'm finally starting a blog. There have been many of you who have been nagging asking me to start a blog forev. So here we go. We're doing this!
Let's start at the beginning... picture it - Montreal. January. 1987(lies.). A sweet baby girl is born in to an Italian family. Italian from every angle.... my mom's side is Sicilian (don't mess.) and dad's side is from Petrella Tifernina, a village in the Province of Campobasso which is south of Rome. Mom was born in Montreal, but her parents weren't.. Dad was born in The Old Country and came over on the boat plane when he was little.
All my life, food has been in the picture. We're eaters, us Eye-Talians.... and drinkers. but we'll get in to that later.
Food = Love = Celebration = Family. Don't get confused. If you're celebrating anything with us, you're family. You don't need to be born in to the crazy to be considered family. Crazy is a good thing, though. Crazy is passion... and I'm not talking about passion as in "I stopped using aerosol hairspray because the environment is my passion" (yawn.).. Passion as in,  I can have an hour long conversation about which is the more 'king' of cheeses - Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano(obv, the King).
Food is always a topic of conversation. It gives me the warm fuzzies. I think that if food, or rather, the appreciation of great food, wasn't a part of my upbringing, I would be a sad sad girl. I truly can't even imagine it.
There's no secret sauce or fancy technique needed. The best food in the world is peasant food, in my opinion (it's my blog.. all of this is my opinion - so that's the last time you'll hear read me saying IMHO). Get yourself the absolute best ingredients and there's no way you can go wrong. Tomatoes, cucumbers and basil from my garden... the deepest green olive oil you can find, and some red wine vinegar can make my eyes roll in to the back of my head.
I tip my hat to the guys who went to culinary school and who can put together amazing dishes that look like they should be in a museum. Truthfully. That takes incredible talent, tremendous patience, an impeccable palate and discipline beyond my imagination. I will go to your restaurant and I will be humbled and in awe of your creativity. Seriously. I really really respect those guys & I think that the majority of their diners take for granted everything that goes in to their work (don't just toss aside the garnish folks.. it's usually there for a reason). That's not me, though. I never went to culinary school. I have never taken a cooking/baking/cake decorating class in my life. Really. Not even a class at my local craft supply store. The closest thing I've ever come to formal instruction is a frantic email about black piping to my sister's friend who actually did go to school and actually does own a successful bakery (xox Myriam). Everything I've done and do is self taught - with the help of my late aunt and grandmothers who I channel regularly while I'm cooking (don't look at me that way!).
I'm just a girl who comes from a big fat Italian family who loves to feed people. If you have been one of my customers, you have become part of my family. I remember every single one of you, what your event was, and what I made for you, and I have been as excited about your wedding / shower / baby / birthday / graduation / football party / store opening / charity event as you have been. I really have.
So there it is. My very first blog post. This is me. Lynn, from linacucina. Please be patient with the design of this page... I only started it a minute ago & it's going to change a bunch before I'm finally happy with it. I should also warn you that I'm a serial run-on sentence-er/fake word-er/over user of quotations-er/commas where they don't make sense-er...and I also drink wine. A lot. And probably usually right before I write a blog post. I'm telling you right now, I'm a little rough around the edges most times. Please don't be upset at me for it. I can't help it. I'm Italian & I can't use my hands to express my point in a blog. ;)
xo L