b'Awards. I remembered working with chef and restaurateur Mario Batali and learning firsthand from him about the Spanish chapter of his youth. I remembered how complimented I felt when fellow public television chef Lidia Bastianich came to say hi to me when I dined at her restaurant for the first time. I had a memory of legendary restaurateur Sirio Maccioni greeting me by my first name when we ran into each other on the streets of New York; I was so excited that I called my family in Sicily to tell them what had happened. I remembered cooking for Oprah Winfrey on her show, and being in awe of the fact that I was even there.When my father passed away last year, I became even more aware of the tenuous grasp we all have on life, and I wanted to do something completely different that would take me on a fresh adventure and in a new and different direction. I cut off my ponytail (after 14 years). I started working out vigorously with a trainerand lost over 60 pounds! And I started formulating ideas for a new direction, including plans for my next TV series and for this cookbook.I wanted the new project to incorporate the culinary views of some of my friends, both new and old. I wanted to play on the set of my television show, becoming a student again. I wanted to have fun, to unleash the inner child of other culinary professionals, and to share with my readers and viewers alike the passion that is cooking.For the Cooking with Friends cookbook and television project, I had the pleasure of working with some wonderful culinary friends. Laurent Manrique from AQUA in San Francisco was the chef who introduced my nephew Andrew to his first gourmet experience; to this day, Andrew is still talking about it. Laurent was the first to accept my invitation to play in my kitchen. Kent Rathbun and I have known each other for 13 years, and he is the warmest and funniest guy you will ever meetI just wanted to share that side of him with you. Walter Pisano and I have been partners in crime for a long time. His wonderful father, Tulio, first introduced us 13 years ago. The story that Walter tells about his little boy Giovanni is one of the most touching in the whole Cooking with Friends TV series. Of course, I could not just stop there. I had to ask the red-haired kid who got me started with all of this, so I called Michael Cimarusti, and he also joined us. Along the way, I met a lot of other talented chefs: Patricia Williams, Elise Wiggins, Michael Hillyer, Heather Terhune, Danny Bortnick and Neal Fraser. Each and every one has a great personal story, wonderful recipes and an awesome passion for cooking. One by one, they all accepted my invitation and came on board for this project.So here we are!After eight cookbooks and hundreds of episodes of my TV series that have aired worldwide, I still think of myself as the boy who left Sicily 33 years ago. As I look at this book, I feel proud of the long road it took me to get here, and I must say that I have loved the journey. My professional associations, my relationships with family and friends, my successes, and even the grandest and most outlandish defeats Ive suffered along the way have all combined to make me the man that I am now. When I look at where I am at this juncture of my life, I feel lucky. I have been married for over 25 years to the love of my life, Nanci, and I am proud to have met so many people along the way that I now call my friends. Sometimes we need to stop and take a moment to acknowledge all of the wonderful things that life brings our way. We need to hold all of the things that matter most in life close to our hearts. And we need to be thankful for how lucky we are. I know that I am.Now. start reading, then get cooking, and let us help you turn your home into your favorite restaurant!13'