I emphasize calling this selection a collection of recipes because I firmly believe that cooking is such an expanded and ancient art that there is very little room for new recipes and that the only possibility is to modify them to coincide with our dietary requirements or the availability of local produce. Most notably, our aim will be to not lose the characteristics of the original dishes, because “La Nostra Cucina,” our cooking style, is Regional Sicilian.
Sicily, with her pleasant climate, natural beauty and strategic position in the Mediterranean Sea has attracted many major civilizations. Thousands of years of history have made their mark on the culture, the way of life and the art of cookery. For this reason, even though Sicilian cuisine is considered regional, its culinary tradition has discerned the best aspects of all who have touched her shores. The appropriation of an adaption to the many influences has given us the blend of gastronomic combinations that make “La Nostra Cucina” what it is today—a melting pot for international food lovers.
A major motivation for the realization of this collection, as Joseph pointed out, is that the traditional cuisine, our Sicilian way of cooking, our Palermitani dishes cannot be forgotten. Therefore, they must be recorded and handed down to future generations. My contribution will be very modest; all the material in these notes was accumulated through the years, researching in Palermo and all over Sicily. We are posting this collection on the internet to make it available to everyone.
The recipes are adapted to the availability of our local produce and products. Working in the kitchen for over forty years, gave me the luxury to test most recipes.
In this collection of recipes, we have made the decision to appeal to the seasoned cook but also to the beginner by using plain language and simplifying the recipes as much as possible.

We painted some of the walls in bright colors and covered some with sparkling tiles to create an eye-catching, fresh and clean environment. The Focacceria was kept spotless.
Our premises comprised a take-out area and a large seating area, with a quick and polite table service. The taste was genuine, the food hearty and fresh. My father used to say, “When you cook, if you use top quality fresh food and you do not manipulate it a great deal, the end product will be excellent”.
At the Avenue U Focacceria, we served mostly Sicilian style food, fish prepared in tasty yet simple sauces, fine vegetables rarely found in restaurants, lightly dressed salad, out of the ordinary delicacies and special seasonal dishes.

Our Focacceria was and still is renowned, not only for the quality of the food, but also because we succeeded in creating an institution where people came to smell the air of the Sicily they had left behind, to taste food like their grandma made and to link the taste of a specialty to a distant past.

We managed la Focacceria with love and with high standards; we were proud of our work and were greatly rewarded by the loyalty of our large clientele.