Joe Dolce is popularly known for the phenomenal international hit record of the 80s, Shaddap You Face, which was Number One in 12 countries, with hundreds of foreign language cover versions, including versions in the Western Australian aboriginal dialect of Indjibundgi and Papua New Guinean pidgin. He has also been doing some serious cooking! Joe Dolce Cooks: My Most Loved Recipes is his first cookbook, compiled from over fifty years of home-cooking. Many of the recipes are from his Italian-American childhood but even more are from the stunning dishes of world cuisine that have influenced him over the years. Inside you will find his grandmother’s Spaghetti and Meatballs, next to Indonesian Sop Buntut, North Vietnamese Bún Chả, Ethiopian Roast Lamb with 15 Berbere Spices, the National tri-coloured dish of Mexico: Chiles en Nogada, and American Soul Food brilliancies such as BBQ Ribs, Fried Green Tomatoes and Red Velvet Cake, illustrated throughout with the paintings of Lin van Hek. ‘The first taste is always with the eyes.’ Apicius I must say that I am very impressed. Is it a question of you being an exemplary student or could I take some pride in this and suggest that I might be an “ok” teacher? Either way you are doing a sterling job, keep it up because soon I’ll be ordering from you. Loretta Sartori