From its preparation to its consumption, the presence of food plays a significant role in Tembi’s memoir, from the book’s title to its closing pages, which comprise family recipes. Making meals from scratch, or composing foods from basic ingredients rather than from store-bought components, is central to the Lupo family, both in Croce’s kitchen and at Saro’s restaurant and home. The phrase ‘from scratch’ also refers to Tembi’s long, arduous process of starting her life anew after losing Saro, metaphorically indicating that she must rebuild her sense of self from entirely new components.

Throughout the contemplative narrative of From Scratch, food serves as both physical and emotional sustenance, even from the earliest beginnings of Saro and Tembi’s romance. For example, Saro first wins Tembi over with his kindness, attentiveness, persistence, and above all, his cooking. By the end of her first meal at Acqua al 2, Tembi falls deeply in love with Saro, as evidenced by her statement that “he had already filled me with his food, his creativity. Now having to take him in the flesh—his eyes, nose, mouth, and gentle brow—made me rock back slightly on my heels” (33).