Come On Down!: A Little Story About My Italian Mom's Big Dream

As a young girl, Fran Tunno yearned for that picture-perfect, 1960s American mom in a spotless apron, waiting at the door with warm cookies. What Fran got was an Italian American force of nature, shoving plates of salami and cheese in front of friends and family then eyeing them suspiciously until they ate an amount she found sufficient.

When not force-feeding guests Fran's mom kept busy by entering every contest available (legal or otherwise), cooking, canning, baking, chasing her children ...