Shut Up and Eat! - by Tony Lip & Steven Prigge (Paperback)

About the Book

Italian-American actors share their secret recipes and stories of growing up in families where a meal is an experience. From Danny Aiello's lentil soup to Lorraine Bracco's stuffed artichokes to Talia Shire's Thanksgiving gnocchi, every recipe is a delight. Photos throughout.

Book Synopsis

Actor Tony Lip, best known for his role on The Sopranos and featured in the Golden Globe Award-winning film Green Book, cooks up a memoir filled with the secret recipes and stories of Italian-American actors.

These mouthwatering recipes are passed down from generation to generation, from the shores of Italy to the old neighborhoods in New York City. Adding to their flavor are heartwarming and often hilarious accounts of growing up around an Italian kitchen. Enjoy a whole range of stories and dishes from Danny Aiello's mother's Lentil Soup to Joe Mantegna's Mussels Mantegna. Also included are recipes from famous restaurants in New York City like The Copacabana, Patsy's, and Lombardi's, and from the sets of The Godfather and The Sopranos.

Share these recipes with friends and family--the Italian way, as Tony Lip hosts a party that's sure to make your next Italian dish a big hit. So pull up a chair and warm up to these dishes made by your favorite movie and television actors. Do them a favor though, let them do the talking, you do the cooking and then just Shut Up and Eat!

Review Quotes

Praise for Shut Up and Eat!

"Opening this cookbook is like pulling up a chair in an old, Italian neighborhood. Good, simple food and great stories abound."--USA Today

"For those of us who have ever questioned what went into the sauce during a scene of an Italian mobster flick, this new cookbook may help."--The Observer (NJ)

"Endearing anecdotes about washing dishes, adored relatives and eating on set."--Publishers Weekly

"Well-known Italian-Americans share their stories of what it was like growing up in a busy kitchen eating hearty meats, sauces and pastas."--New York Daily News

"A cookbook long on hilarious and touching remembrances of the Italian-American family table."--San Jose Mercury News

About the Author

Tony Lip originated from the Bronx, New York. He worked for twelve years at the world-famous Copacabana Nightclub in New York City. At the Copa, he played host to the most famous personalities of the era, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Bobby Darin. Lip then went on to a career in acting. He got his first big break when he was cast in the hit film, The Godfather. He then appeared in several major motion pictures including Crazy Joe, The Pope of Greenwich Village, The Year of the Dragon, Honor Thy Fathers, Goodfellas, and Donnie Brasco. He was also featured as the New York mob boss Carmine Lupertazzi on the hit HBO series, The Sopranos. Lip passed away in 2013. His travels with pianist Don Shirley through the South in 1962 is portrayed in the 2018 movie Green Book.

Steven Priggé has written three previous books. He is the co-author of the Italian-American celebrity cookbook Shut Up and Eat!, and the author of Movie Moguls Speak and Created By. Priggé also writes freelance articles for one of the most widely read food magazines in the world, Bon Appetit, as well as for other top publications such as Written By and MovieMaker. He lives in New York City.