From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home

Tembi Locke recounts the three summers she spent in the Sicilian countryside following the death of her husband, Saro. The narrative traces their initial meeting in Florence, their move to Los Angeles, and Saro’s later diagnosis of a rare cancer. Locke Details the strained relationship with her Italian in-laws, who initially rejected her because she is Black and American. After Saro’s passing, she returns to his small village with their daughter, eventually finding reconciliation and shared grief with her mother-in-law over traditional meals and labor in the family's olive groves.

Readers who value honest accounts of bereavement and the complexities of interracial family life find solace in this memoir. It serves those interested in the intersections of food, heritage, and the slow process of rebuilding a life after significant loss. The audience learns how cultural barriers dissolve through shared sensory experiences and quiet persistence. One walks away with a concrete understanding of how geographical displacement and culinary traditions provide a framework for enduring sorrow and establishing a sense of belonging in an unfamiliar landscape.

Inward-looking and contemplative; an easy read.

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