Never Well-Done: Tales and Recipes from Farm to Table (Hardcover)

"We never serve the steak Fiorentina well-done.” This book’s title is inspired by a sign that welcomes diners to a beautiful restaurant in Mugello, Tuscany. And behind this legendary cut of the finest steak there exists a world of breeders, chefs, artisan butchers, farmers, and gourmets, each of them convinced that the quality of our choices and the actions we take will be our salvation, both at the table and in the wider world. This book gives space and voice to their awareness, a fascinating collection of their stories, images, and recipes.

Born in Florence in 1962. For specialized publishing I have made hundreds of photographic services of a geographical, ethnographic, and tourist nature. With Stefano Amantini and Massimo Borchi I founded, in 1991, Atlantide Phototravel, a photographic agency specializing in travel reportage―and later Tethys Gallery, a small and dynamic Florentine gallery. Today I alternate photographic campaigns for large international archives with the production of photographic books and art catalogs, Fine Art projects, and services for the Corporate sector.

Lorenzo and Stefano Bencista' Falorni were born in the mid-1940s. They spent time at the butcher’s shop from a very early age, and accompanied their father to local farms even before taking their first steps! The Chianti region started attracting large numbers of tourists: German and British visitors were smitten with its natural landscape, gourmet food, and slow, relaxed pace of life. The mouthwatering flavours, quality, and authenticity of their cold cuts, and a talent for communicating their products and their world of values, created interest in the Antica Macelleria Falorni: in 1971 a two-page spread was published in Capital. Lorenzo and Stefano struck up their remarkable friendship and partnership with Carlo Petrini, the founder of Arcigola―which later became Slow Food in the 1980s―with Stefano becoming a board member of the association. The Falorni brothers are firm believers in what would become a full-blown trend in the decades to come: an attention to regional characteristics and the rediscovery of gastronomical traditions. Antica Macelleria Falorni’s production, sales, and reputation grow year on year. The historic butcher shop’s sign became an official brand, known and loved the world over. New recipes were created, such as the first prepared meats made with Wild Boar, while traditional recipes are carefully protected and improved. Antica Macelleria Falorni offers the full range of Tuscan salumi, while continuing to process high-quality fresh meat.

Monica Parussolo lives in Venice, Italy. After the Art Institute and studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, she deepened her techniques of illustration. As the co-author of several publications, she finds particular inspiration in nature, of which she exists as a curious and admired observer.