20 rare cookbooks.
4 delish dishes.
2 best friends.

This unique, cardboard-bound, hand-written cookbook series was published in 1976 by the small, independent Italian publisher Il Vespro. Each book explores a different region of Italy with not just authentic, ancient recipes, but poetry, art, & bits of lost history. They are extremely rare, super funky & we’ve been obsessed by how cool they are.

The day before the lock down in NYC we decided to have a “last supper” of sorts & try something out of the ordinary. We picked 4 wild recipes from these books, sourced the absolute best ingredients from century old Italian markets in NYC & documented the entire process for your entertainment.

The result is a short documentary called “In Bocca”. It’s more then just a film about these amazing books; it’s a window into the lives of two friends & their unique story of how these strange cookbooks have connected them with their heritage back home. It will surprise you, entertain you, and most of all, make you hungry.

I’m a filmmaker & Peter, my roomie & best friend, is a motorcycle mechanic. We’re not chefs but we do have a borderline unhealthily relationship with good food & culture. We made this film out of love to celebrate all the great friends and meals we’ve had along the way, and hopefully raise a little awareness of those that need some help in these trying times.

The film was shot with one camera, a cell phone & a 50 watt work-light from Peter’s garage downstairs & edited over 2 weeks in quarantine. The point I’m making here is that you don’t need much to tell the powerful story of these strange little cookbooks which look & behave more like spell-books with their ancient languages, strange drawings, & unique flavors and the fun they inspire in two friends.

All we hope is you like the film as much as we did making it. It’s about friendship, good food, and the magic that a good meal has; to both transport you to another place while bringing you together at the same time. As we are all stuck at home, this film lets us all take a little trip “In Bocca” (in the mouth) without having to leave our kitchens. If you like, share it with someone you want to trip with.

There is so much more to explore and we can’t wait to share it with you. We’ll be updating our blog with lots of extra goodies, like interviews with famous chefs, good people, and food fanatics, along with recipes, give-a-ways, and lots more, so stay tuned, and thank you for taking the trip with us.

Roberto & Pete