John Barricelli - The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion

here are many people I wish to thank for their help with this book and with my career. I would, first and foremost, like to thank Martha Stewart, who introduced me to the world of media. You were kind and patient as my skills and talents evolved at Martha Stewart Omnimedia.

My agent, Coleen OShea, found me a publisher with class. Pamela Cannon brought my techniques and recipes to the page and my Brooklyn accent to life. A big thank-you to Stephanie Lyness for her endless efforts to test and retest the many recipes in this book. A big thank-you to the entire team at Clarkson Potter, especially Pam Krauss, Emily Takoudes, Peggy Paul, Doris Cooper, Lauren Shakely, and Jennifer K. Beal Davis. To Ben Fink for the beautiful photographs he created and to Frances Palmer Pottery and Juliska for enhancing these photographs with their wonderful ceramicware and glassware. To Rick Steffann, who was my first chef at the River Caf. Rick, you taught me when, how, and why we do things the way we do in the kitchen. I am forever grateful to you. To all the people at Martha Stewart Television who help put Everyday Food and Everyday Baking together. To Jeffrey Hamelman, for teaching me how to make excellent bread and for his professional guidance. To all my instructors at the Culinary Institute of America, thank you for creating a foundation to build upon. To my cousin Richard, who listened to me when I said, I want to be in the restaurant biz at the tender age of sixteen. To my cousin Louis for his support and help with Cousin Johns Caf in Brooklyn, New York. To my seven brothers, thank you for the practice in discipline you gave me through regular physical interventions on behalf of our father, Joseph. Thank you to my aunts Connie, Mildred, and Ducky (what a name) for the upbringing you provided, in the absence of my mother, Mary Ann, whom I miss more than I realize or will ever admit. To my grandparents Julia and Anthony Barricelli, who taught me how to eat and to appreciate good food. I would also like to thank my many cousins, nieces, and nephews to whom I owe a great many apologies for working all the time, causing me to miss many family events and holidays. To all my friends, too many to mention here, I think of you frequently, even if I dont get to see you as often as Id like. A huge thank-you to my wife, Veronica, for her patience during this project, even while giving birth to our son Peter! To my children Nikolai, Nola, Peter, and SophiaI hope you grow to understand that my absence in your lives was due to my crazy bakery work hours. I promise to make it to more events. Most important, I want to personally thank each and every one of our bakery, farmers market, and Website customers. And last but certainly not least, I want to express my thanks and gratitude to the staff at SoNo Baking Company and Caf for all of their hard work, especially Ed, Val, Fran, Lesli, Bruno, Juan, and Issy. I have the best staff in the world.

by Martha Stewart

ike many chefs and bakers, John Barricelli is passionatepassionate about his craft, passionate about his skills, passionate about his businesses, and passionate about his life. In fact, in the many years that I have known this friendly and talented man his passions have grown more pronounced and his skills more honed. He continues to learn and to perfect, and the success of his beautiful bakery/caf and wholesale bakery business in South Norwalk, Connecticut, has been a very excellent confirmation that his customers are happy and his followers content.

I met John when he was the pastry chef at the Elms Inn in Ridgefield, Connecticut. We photographed a lovely Thanksgiving feast that John prepared for our magazine, and his food graced the cover. Everything he preparedincluding many dessertswas tasty, pretty, and well-conceived. It was at that early date that I even had the pleasure of tasting some of Johns ice creams, and it was then that he gave me his secret of always adding a pinch of salt to ice creams to enhance the flavors. When we were searching for a chef and kitchen manager for our early television productions, we lured John away from the restaurant world and he helped me create one of the best television prep kitchens. He managed, he cooked, and he baked.

Coming from a line of Italian bakers and cooksboth amateur and professional, John had a large repertoire of really tasty recipes that translated well to our style of family and entertaining cooking. Generous and forthright, and with a really fine set of cooking skills, John became an invaluable member of our staff and contributed not only to television but also to our magazines and ultimately to our weekly cooking series,