A Meal to Die For

Benny Lacoco is a "food fence". A load of frozen shrimp falls off of a truck, or perhaps a few cases of olive oil or some nice expensive wine with an unpronounceable name comes into your possession, Benny is the guy who can move it for you. No questions asked. He's well connected and a man of respect.

But there is another side to Benny. He's a gourmet cook who once aspired to be a renowned restaurateur…but business (and other matters equally unsavory) got in the way.
Now Benny has been summoned to cook a special meal for some of his associates on the occasion of the big man being sent up the river. This gives Benny the chance to prepare the meal of his life, A MEAL TO DIE FOR, because word has it that someone in their midst is a rat, and some things just can't be forgiven.
From the abundant antipasto of chicken liver mousse, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, grilled sardines, and other delicacies to the creamy delight of crayfish bisque, three types of pasta, and main entrees of roasted lamb, baked snapper, and chicken with artichokes and sausage, we are treated to flashbacks of Benny’s life in a novel that blends the best of Big Night with Goodfellas.

Joseph R. Gannascoli is an actor who has appeared in numerous movies and is a regular on HBOs phenomenally successful TV series The Sopranos. He has been a guest on such shows as Emeril, Bobby Flay, Donnie Deutsch, and Howard Stern as well as on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club. He is also a skilled restauranteur.

Allen C. Kupfer teaches at Nassau Community College. He is also the author of The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing.