Perth’s Simone and Dan Agostino release Italian cookbook dedicated to family

“This book is dedicated to my grandmother, my nonna, who passed away years ago and was renowned for being a beautiful cook.” The first words Perth-based Simone Agostino uses to describe The Table of Us perfectly sum up what to expect from the pages of her debut cookbook. “I truly believe the heritage is slowly dying off, or slipping away,” she says. “The older we get, our children won’t have the upbringing like we did, or have a nonna like we did, because times are changing. “It is my way of keeping some of that heritage alive for our family, and for other people to enjoy, too.” So in the ultimate homage to family and food, Agostino went about curating her favourite recipes, personal travel photography from holidays in Italy as well as images of those closest to her, including her beloved grandmother. “I cook them all (the recipes) myself and these are things you could find on my table every day,” she says. There are savoury and sweet dishes, meals that can be prepared for a hungry brood — which Agostino can attest to with three sons to feed — as well as recipes traditionally cooked for special occasions such as Easter, Christmas and weddings. There are also recipes handed down through the generations that won’t be found in a google search. “Each of the recipes I have written about in the book includes a little memory ... there is some storytelling with each recipe, which brings some personalisation,” she says. “Whether it was something my grandmother cooked for us, or the first thing she cooked for Daniel as he came into our family home, there are little memories like that.” In keeping with the family theme, Simone’s husband Dan — head of design at The Brand Agency in Perth — was put in charge of designing the 208-page book. “Simone kept talking about heritage, so for me it needed to feel quite warm and authentic, it has almost a handcrafted feel to it in many ways,” Dan says. “I wanted to make sure that warmth came through in every page, the idea of Simone’s love and passion for when she cooks ... for me, that needed to come to the forefront.” This is the first time the husband-and-wife team, who have been married for 12 years, have collaborated their skills in a project. Would they do it again? “Well, we’re still married,” they laugh, while sharing that Simone is already working on her second book. “It was a nice combination of Simone’s talent and my talent,” Dan says. “We’d spoken about doing something collaboratively for a long time, so this is the first of many things, I hope.” For more information, go to thetableofus.com