From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home is an autobiography of Tembi Locke. Tembi is the New York Times bestselling author of her memoir From Scratch, and an actor, producer, and screenwriter.
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home is a story of love at first sight when Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence.
The Netflix series inspired by From Scratch is set to be released in 2022. Tembi is the co-creator of the series and serves as its executive producer.
“Pain is part of life. That much I knew. If I could just teach her how to be resilient, how to love big, how to fear less. How to weather hurt, either at the hands of others or even the hurts she might unknowingly inflict on herself. I wanted her to know that love can come in many forms.
That sometimes it can look like letting go, but it can also look like never letting go. That one day she might have to love someone in ways the world wasn’t ready for. That reaching for that kind of love would bring with it struggle, but in the end, it could be grander than her wildest imaginings.”
― From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home
| Book Title | From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home |
| Author | Tembi Locke |
| Genre | Autobiography |
| No. of Pages | 339 pages (Hardcover) |
| Age Rating | 11+ |
| Publishing Date | April 30th 2019 |
| Publishers | Simon & Schuster |
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home Age Rating and Parents Guide
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home is appropriate for ages 11 and up. It includes some sexual stuff and romance, emotional breakdown, etc…
- From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home is about Sicily, food, culture, family, and love. There are some parts that will make you smile, and other parts that will make you cry.
- it is about accepting life with all that life has to give, of love and love for another human being, love for parents, love for children, and love for one’s origins and birthplace.
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home Storyline/Summary
The one who this story is about is Tembi, a black American woman and the author of this book who fell in love with Saro, a professional chef. It was love at first sight on the streets of Florence.
The story sets in the Sicilian countryside, where the writer discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hour.
Tembi and Saro want to marry each other and spend their whole life together but there was just one problem Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of him marrying a black American actress.
But the couple already made their decision to live together and they move to Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships, and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopted at birth.
But their happiness couldn’t last for long as Saro was diagnosed with rare cancer and that one piece of news consumed all their dreams.
This was the time when they reconcile with Saro’s family. Ultimately, Saro faces multiple battles with cancer and passes away.
Heartbroken Tembi with her daughter Zoela begins to live life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers.
It was not only about Tembi’s love story, but her journey of grief over the course of 3 summers spent in Sicily visiting her mother-in-law. Tembi finds solace through food, family, and community.
“it was clear that being with Saro had been like weaving a beautiful complicated tapestry. After his death, being with his family was like looking at the flip side of that tapestry, the stitching showed, the bulky knots, the places where the fringe had frayed but it was still part of the same beautiful piece.”
In the Sicilian countryside, the protagonist learns about the healing power of fresh, simple food, the warmth of a tight-knit community, and ageless customs and wisdom that guide her toward the future.
Throughout her journey, she thinks about her beautiful love story with Saro, which is so powerful it jumps off the pages.
In Sicily, it is said that every tale starts with a marriage or a death, and in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both. This story is about loss, but more importantly, it’s about discovering love.
It’s about travel, but more than that, it’s about finding a home. It’s about food, but ultimately it’s about keeping memories alive by savoring flavors.
From Scratch is a book for anyone who has risked everything for love, stood up for what they believe in, and required a reminder that life is, indeed, delightful.
“We had to begin at an ending and make a new beginning.”
― Tembi Locke, From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home Review
This one can be depressive for some readers as From Scratch is a very sad book but with a very impressive story. As it is a true story you will feel like crying with every single page it is heartbreaking to read.
The writing of this book is eloquent. The author conveyed the love of her life very beautifully, she write about herself and her deceased husband. She wrote about the “realness” of grief and gives details about how unfair life can be.
Later the evolution of the relationship between her mother-in-law and herself is also portrayed very nicely.
If someone is in a situation just like the author who is losing her spouse ‘From Scratch’ would be a great choice for them. If you are finding something tear-jerker, this one is all you are looking for.
‘From Scratch’ is an inspirational story that reminds us that life is so deep and we have to reach deep down there to achieve the big love.
It’s also about breaking down the conflict between her husband’s family, primarily predicated on diversity of culture, race, language, and religion.
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home Characters List
- Tembi: The author and the one who this story is about, a black American woman.
- Saro Gullo: Tembi’s beloving husband
- Zoela: Tembi and Saro’s daughter
About the Author:
Tembi Locke is a writer, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Tembi thrives at the intersection of storytelling and advocacy.
She says her parents inspired her to become an advocate for social justice. They always encouraged her to do what she could to make the world a better and fairer place.
Tembi talks about how to heal after experiencing loss, taking back control of your own story, being strong in everyday life, using creativity, and finding a sense of belonging by connecting with others.
She does many things to help improve our systems and society. For example, she gives talks at TEDx and delivers important speeches all around the country. She also represents organizations that are working hard to bring about positive change.
Tembi Locke is a very talented actress who started her career with famous comedies like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Friends. She has acted in more than sixty TV shows, such as The Magicians, Bones, NCIS, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and the very popular Never Have I Ever. You can find more information about her on her official page. Official Page: Tembi Locke