Elisa Costantini Elisa Costantini was born in 1938 in Poggio Valle, a small town in the province of Teramo, located in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The daughter of farmers, and one of six children, she learned to cook at a very young age using simple, fresh ingrediets to create wonderful food for family and friends. At the age of twenty-three, Costantini immigrated to the United States with her late husband, Francesco, and daughter, Nadia. Once in Philadelphia, she started from scratch, building a family, an endless circle of friends, and a fulfilling career with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. For more than forty years, she's cared for children with special needs as a housekeeper and cook at Divine Providence Village in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Costantini wrote this book as a legacy for her children and grandchildren, to preserve her art, and to help home cooks make wonderful meals for loved ones. Read More Read Less