Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
From Scratch
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home | Tembi Locke
A poignant and transporting cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hour. It was love at first sight when Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saros traditional Sicilian family did not approve of him marrying a black American woman, an actress no less. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forges on. They build a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopt at birth. Eventually, they reconcile with Saros family just as he faces a formidable cancer that will consume all their dreams. From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saros family and his origins, now she finds solace and nourishmentliterally and spirituallyat her mother in laws table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saros incredible romancean indelible love story that leaps off the pages. In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a deathin Tembi Lockes case, it is both. Her story is about loss, but its really about love found. Her story is about travel, but its really about finding a home. It is about food, but its really about chasing flavor as an act of remembrance. From Scratch is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and needed a powerful reminder that life isdelicious.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
review
GidgetsTreasures75
post image
Pickpick

7-4-23: My 73rd finished book of 2023! What a beautiful story. I watched the Netflix show starring Zoe Saldana and it was gorgeous and moving and devastating and I cried for hours after. Thankfully, I only cried a little bit with this book. It was still all those things but it showed more of Tembi‘s life after her chef husband passed and how she came to terms with it as opposed to seeing the beautiful love story unfold. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣7️⃣3️⃣

shxriel holy cow! 73rd!! how do you do it? whats the most youve read in a year? (edited) 1y
GidgetsTreasures75 @shxriel the most I‘ve read in a year is 128. I try to read whenever possible. Even car rides. 1y
17 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
mcctrish
post image
Pickpick

This is a great book and it‘s even better on audio ❤️❤️❤️ I just loved listening to all the Italian ( despite the times I was in tears while I was listening, the Italian was like listening to meditations )

MicheleinPhilly This book made me snot cry. ❤️ 1y
mcctrish @MicheleinPhilly I was a hot mess before school on a few occasions 1y
47 likes2 comments
blurb
mcctrish
post image

My current audio ( I love the Italian words ❤️) which means I am usually in tears when I get to work each day

47 likes1 stack add
quote
NovelNancyM
post image

“Suddenly I realized that I had three marriages to Saro: the one we had experienced as newly in-love married people; the one we had spent in the trenches of surviving cancer; and the one I had with him now, as his widow“ 239-40).

IndianBookworm Wow! Can't wait to check your review about this. 1y
37 likes1 comment
review
Julsmarshall
post image
Pickpick

This was wonderful! Beautifully written memoir about grief, love, and family. I wasn‘t familiar with the author, an actress, but when I realized her sister was Attica Locke, I thought, no wonder. What a talented family. I loved the sense of place in this book, how she honors her husband‘s memory by visiting Sicily, his birthplace, and connecting with his family. #BookspinBingo #20in4 @TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65 #Pantone2023 #mochamousse @Clwojick

Amor4Libros The Netflix show is great, also! 2y
Gissy I need to read it then because I love Attica Locke books🤗❤️ 2y
Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
59 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
actualdisneyprincess
post image

Just finished working on February in my planner, time to dive into the next read. I watched the first episode of the show on Netflix, but wanted to read the book before I finish the series. (The food. THE FOOD. 😋🥰) #fromscratch #tembilocke #memoir #food #italy #italianfood #sicily #sicilianfood #booksforfoodies #grief

22 likes1 stack add
review
ChantalReads
This post contains spoilers
show me
post image
Mehso-so

I really liked the first half or so of this book. I knew the premise, so I went I'm expecting to be sad. The first half interweaves her story before her husband's death and after, spanning their almost 2 decade relationship. I love this style of writing. After his death, though, the book sort of drags, and I found myself trying to just get through it. Worth a read, though, and I can see how her journey could help others going through similar.

blurb
OutAndAbout

Watching the Netflix series is so disappointing. It follows their story chronologically, which takes away so much of the character of the story, and makes the characters much less likable. It‘s watchable but a very different and less satisfying experience than the book.

blurb
KorriesKorner
post image

Y‘all don‘t understand. I‘m so happy over this #netflixreleasedate for #FromScratch by #tembilocke . When I tell you this memoir consumed me, believe it. It will make you cherish your spouse if you have one even more. Such a beautiful vivid journey through travel, adventure, loss and beautiful hope. #readthisbook #zoesaldana

review
booklover3258
post image
Pickpick

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/kSwFTM2XiyA

Enjoy!

review
Amandajoy
post image
Pickpick

My May #doublespin and it was wonderful! My second book in my Memoir May picks. This one also looked at race relations, but from a very different perspective than Jesus Land. It doesn‘t shy away from the truth, but was more hopeful. A beautiful story about love and loss with a delicious ode to Sicilian food weaved throughout. And the audio narration was excellent. Now does anyone have a good recommendation for a Sicilian cookbook?

36 likes1 comment
blurb
Amandajoy
post image

May wrap up. Not a bad month! Listened to some great audiobooks! #maywrapup

blurb
kspenmoll
post image

#bookspin #doublebookspin #bookspinbingo #2#18
This is a mixture of April leftovers & new books for May. Thanks @TheAromaofBooks Such a fun wag to tackle a minute number of books from my ever mounting #TBR #AxetheStacks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looks fantastc!! 4y
42 likes1 comment
review
HappyCamper
Pickpick

This memoir of Locke's love with her husband whom she met on a trip to Italy, their journey through life, the loss of Saro, and her relationship with Sicily really touched me. It found myself fighting tears during parts and smiling through others. I loved learning about Sicily (the culture, the food, etc.,.) through her eyes. All around a well written tribute to love and family.

blurb
Mccall0113
post image

Thank you so much! I need a little romance in my life! The first chapter has drawn me in! Happy valentines day!!
#bookcupidswap

candority Yay! 💘 4y
shortsarahrose Enjoy! 📚🥰 4y
89 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
OutAndAbout
post image
Pickpick

What sounds like a depressing and sad story ended up being a story of exploration and renewal. Descriptive without being flowery, she immerses you in Sicilian life, a simpler slower vista of food, smells, and time spent just being Sicilian. Not a hint of spoiled celebrity, she struggles through her grief to find a new life for herself and her daughter after losing her husband to cancer. “The wound of loss had become a scar of love.”

blurb
OutAndAbout
post image

#til that “ricotta” means “recooked” in Italian. The process by which it is made is the name. #NFN2020 I really like this quote about dealing with grief being like cheese making: “It requires gentle hands but also strong intentions.”

blurb
OutAndAbout
post image

Just starting this one for #NFN2020. Not usually a memoir reader but I do love all things Italian! Especially the food. 😉

19 likes1 stack add
review
melissajayne
post image
Pickpick

4⭐️ I can‘t recall how I first heard about the book but I know it was in early June that I had heard about it. Anyways, I quite enjoyed it and thought the book was poignant and heartfelt. #reesesbookclub #nonfiction #memoir #autobiography #2020 #ownvoices #bookreview #bookstagram

review
angieinwonderland
post image
Pickpick

I'm actually not even done this book. As a matter of fact, I've only just finished the 2nd chapter but I already have all the 5 🌟 feels while I read parts of this with a lump in my throat. Her ease with adjectives gives every sentence a feeling....and they all have punch. One would think a rating at the onset of chapter 3 would be awfully presumptuous, except for those that have read it.

review
AuthorAnnaBella
post image
Pickpick

From Scratch is a multi cultural / cross continents love story about parenthood, loss, forgiveness and healing all drizzled in lots of love.
Food played a significant role from beginning to end & would prove to be a contributing salve to healing and family cohesiveness. Grief clung to three generations of women - memories lapsing and resurrecting. It‘s with the power of love and forgiveness, that Tembi and Zoela will build a home away from home.

quote
AuthorAnnaBella
post image

“Think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course”. Kahlil Gibran.

blurb
AutumnRLS
post image

Starting another audio book while I rearrange my library.

8 likes1 stack add
blurb
Sharpeipup
post image

Starting another #reesesbookclub selection.
How many have you read?

📸@reesesbookclub IG

megnews I‘ve only read two. The Giver of Stars and Crawdads. 4y
marleed I‘ve read every book in your stack. Have fun treating RW and JBH monthly picks as required reading. I don‘t always like them as much as Reese or Jenna - but sometimes I do. It‘s fun! 4y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Just one - Daisy Jones and the Six. I loved it! 4y
Megabooks I‘ve read 5 of that stack! 👍🏻👍🏻 4y
37 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
rather_be_reading
post image
Pickpick

Wow! I didnt know anything about this author befire listening to this. I absolutely loved this story, her voice was so soothing and she is a great writer!

DAB I need to stop adding books to my to read list but this looks good. 4y
69 likes4 stack adds1 comment
quote
rather_be_reading
post image

Update on this one. It is taking forever but I love the authors voice and words so its all good!

60 likes1 stack add
quote
rather_be_reading
post image
Cinfhen Loved this audio 😭😭😭 4y
59 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
jpetrillivm
post image
Pickpick

I listened to this on audible and so glad I did! I‘m usually a hard back book person and not a fan of audio books but the Italian and Sicilian spoken in this memoir is so beautiful you have to hear it and it‘s an absolutely beautiful story, particularly given our current political climate.

review
MicheleinPhilly
post image
Pickpick

Every once in a while a book comes into your life at the exact right time and shakes you to your core. That is what Tembi Locke did to me. This is one of the most breathtaking, earth shatteringly beautiful things I have ever read. It is a memoir of grief but it is also a profoundly moving love letter to people, places, and food. I could not love it more. 5🌟

emilyhaldi I love those right-book-right-time moments!! ✨✨✨ 4y
TrishB Stacked 👍🏻 so lovely to read a book that stirs you up! 4y
MicheleinPhilly @emilyhaldi I was initially hesitant because it made me so upset but then I just decided to lean into it and I found the sadness soothing, almost meditative in a way. I can‘t describe it accurately but it was almost soothing to lose myself in HER grief so as not to face my own. 4y
See All 10 Comments
MicheleinPhilly @TrishB So much about it resonated for me personally. My maternal great grandparents emigrated to Philadelphia from Sicily when they were 15 (and married 😂) and settled just a few yards from where I now live. Cooking was such a HUGE part of my life with my grandmother and it brought a lot of that back as well. 4y
squirrelbrain What a lovely review - stacked! ❤️ 4y
emilyhaldi That makes a lot of sense actually ❤️ 4y
Sassy_Steph A lovely story! I did the audiobook, I love hearing the person tell their story it really brings it to life! Hearing the different emotions in their voice of what they were feeling at the time is a real peek inside! 4y
TrishB 😘 such courage those kids had! 4y
Kalalalatja Stacked! Sounds great 👌 4y
Cathythoughts Well , with a review like this I have to stack 👍🏻❤️ 4y
67 likes8 stack adds10 comments
blurb
MicheleinPhilly
post image

SLOWLY making my way through this as it is sad, sad, SAD. But also achingly beautiful.

cathysaid Pickles! I feel like she is the Litsy mascot. 😂 4y
TrishB Hi Pickles 😘 that book looks very sad! 4y
MicheleinPhilly @TrishB I have sobbed multiple times while reading it. 4y
See All 18 Comments
AmyG Awww pretty Pickles. 4y
Reggie Pickles!!! 4y
Cinfhen I loved this book!!! I listened to the audio read by Tembi ♥️🙌🏻I used this for #Booked2020 #ArmChairTravel because Sicily, 🇮🇹 4y
Cinfhen I see Pickles loves this book too 🥰 4y
MicheleinPhilly @Cinfhen Pickles doesn‘t like when I read it because I inevitably end up with tears streaming down my face. 4y
Cinfhen Awwww; she‘s such a love 💕 🐾 4y
KarouBlue Agreed. But there was something beautiful tucked beneath the healing too. 4y
saresmoore Pickles looks contemplative about it. “Why you sad, Mama Shell?” I can‘t read sad books right now. Stupid friggin‘ Anna Karenina made me all weepy last night. 🤪 4y
BarbaraBB I love your space! 4y
batsy Pickles definitely protecting mum from the sad book ❤️ 4y
ValerieAndBooks Looks good although I‘d probably have to have a box of tissues next to me! 😘 to Pickles for taking care of you! 4y
MicheleinPhilly @ValerieAndBooks It is VERY good but I definitely went into it expecting something else. I thought, “Let me escape to Sicily for a bit” and an hour later was sitting on the sofa with tears POURING down my face. 4y
Reviewsbylola It sounds heartbreaking. 😭 4y
Suet624 I need a good cry. (As if I haven‘t been crying for the last two weeks.) give pickles a squeeze for me. 4y
CBee Hi Pickles - I luv you ❤️ 4y
75 likes2 stack adds18 comments
review
Books88
post image
Pickpick

A heartbreaking journey about love, loss, family, an interracial couple and Italy.

https://bookshop.org/a/5164/9781501187667

Cinfhen I LOVED this book!!!! Awesome photo ♥️ 4y
Sassy_Steph This was amazing! I listened to the audiobook, loved it 4y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick The author was in the show Eureka! 4y
Suet624 Great photo. 4y
97 likes4 comments
review
Sassy_Steph
Pickpick

This book was incredibly beautiful! I did the audiobook, loved listening to the author and her story of heartbreak and finding her new normal life while visiting her in laws in Italy! Great for foodies!!

blurb
Sassy_Steph

Almost done this one! I‘ll be sad to see the end of it!!

review
SW-T
post image
Pickpick

Parts were really good, though some dragged a bit, and sometimes it seemed to wander off before regrouping. Several recipes included at the end.

For fun, interviews with the author & her sister, Attica Locke.

Bravery
https://www.shondaland.com/live/a27801429/attica-locke-tembi-locke-from-scratch/

Writing
https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/attica-and-tembi-locke-on-texas-memorie...

33 likes1 stack add
review
Jody3
post image
Pickpick

Parts were wonderful, beautifully written, even moved me to tears.But large sections were slow and a little too sentimental.

14 likes1 stack add
review
Cinfhen
post image
Pickpick

If you‘re a foodie, romantic, #armchairTraveler, mother or caregiver this book will fill your heart with a swell of emotions. In the most soothing voice Tembi Locke shares her short but intense love story. Audio includes authentic recipes from Tembi‘s kitchen as her husband, Saro was an acclaimed chef. #InfiniteTissueRead
😭😭😭😭😭

👇🏽challenge prompts

BarbaraBB These prompts! Amazing! You will be finished by March 😉🥰 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Nice! I‘ve seen this a few times and wondered about it. ♥️📚👊🏻 5y
See All 7 Comments
Librarybelle Way to stack the challenges! Awesome! ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
Amandajoy Foodie, romantic, arm chair traveler? You have me sold! Adding it to my audio queue. 5y
Cinfhen I hope you love the audio as much as I did @Amandajoy hearing all the Italian & Sicilian was extra special 5y
Cinfhen So wonderful how all my books are fitting so many challenges @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB I REALLY ENJOYED this one @barbarathebibliophage 5y
93 likes2 stack adds7 comments
blurb
Cinfhen
post image

#AudioFolding 🧺🎧😭wow! Poetic and visceral/ what a tribute to a lifetime and a love cut short 💔

Butterfinger That cover is gorgeous. 5y
Cinfhen Tembi Locke is both physically and spiritually stunning @Butterfinger and I‘m not even familiar with her work as an actress. I never heard of her before I picked up this book 5y
93 likes3 stack adds2 comments
blurb
Cinfhen
post image

Jumping right in 🎧

Librariana On my audio TBR as well! Enjoy 😊💜 5y
Crazeedi Love all things Sicilian 💖 5y
Cinfhen I fell asleep while listening last night. Her voice & Italian is sooooo soothing @Librariana @Crazeedi but I can tell, it‘s gonna be a good one 🥰 5y
96 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
MaggieCarr
post image
Pickpick

The descriptive text had me salivating and imagining the smells, textures, and tastes with heightened senses. While a love filled marriage is included, the storyline is filled with family, illness, travel, parenthood, language barriers and cultural differences, not just romance. Most of the book is written in English, but many words and portions are in Italian and Sicilian and was beautifully narrated by the author. Glad I swapped over to audio.

review
SLSbooks
Pickpick

A warm remembrance. A little too light on the details concerning connecting with her husband‘s family and overcoming the racial and cultural divide, but the love shines through.

review
readtheworld
post image
Pickpick

Really enjoyed this memoir, though that feels odd to say as it‘s so sad. Tembi Locke narrates the story of her marriage to Saro, a charming Italian chef, and his long battle with cancer. After his death, Locke goes back to his native Sicily to keep his memory alive for their daughter. Heartbreaking and beautifully written.

(Also, had no idea until well into the book that her sister is Attica Locke — too much talent in one family!)

#audiobook

review
Califlamingo
post image
Pickpick

This book isn't just about grief as I had expected, but about love. Love for her life before, during, and after her husband. Love for family. Love for food and how that can bind our souls even across culture and continents. This was beautifully written.

8 likes1 stack add
review
jploves2read
Mehso-so

I liked this even though I am rating it as so-so. One of the hard things about it was the subject matter. It was heavy and it seemed more about grief so the title was not quite a match. Also the beginning was all over the place (very well written but not cohesive). Just when I thought there was a pattern it changed again. That was annoying. The overall writing is beautiful and that is what kept me reading.

blurb
jploves2read
post image

Post Humberto reading. A positive side to being unable to do anything else.

blurb
MsLeah8417
post image

Ah, Sicilia!

blurb
Mrs_Organized_Chaos
post image

So far this has been a heartbreaking story. She writes about her pain in such a way it makes my own heart ache for her and her daughter.

blurb
RealLifeReading
post image

Sunday morning bright and early with homemade banana pancakes and maple syrup and starting a new book that I hadn‘t heard of before until I browsed the library‘s ebook catalogue. It sounded devastating (bereavement) but because of its Sicilian setting, fascinating and possibly likely to induce pasta cravings. Have you read this yet?

95 likes1 stack add
blurb
AvidReader25
post image

We made pasta sauce from this book‘s recipe & it‘s delicious! Definitely a new staple in our home.

“In Sicily, love, truth, and grief are neither simple nor straightforward. Each runs as deep as the olive trees that have dotted the island for centuries.”

"But what I loved most was that her kitchen showed me how one ingredient can be made into many different dishes. Her food spoke of malleability & resourcefulness in loss, in love, and in life."

Tamra I am envious! 5y
26 likes1 comment
blurb
Emiller

What an amazing book! Love, loss, family, and Italy. Halfway thru I realized the author was on one of my all time fav shows, Eureka! I highly recommend this memoir!!

24 likes1 stack add