Today marks the one year anniversary of the earthquake that killed 308 people in the medieval city of L’Aquila, northwest of Rome, Italy.

So now you’re saying, that’s very sad, but what’s that got to do with food?

To start, the quake was so close to my hometown in Italy that all my relatives there felt it. And since the flavours in the region are the basis for most of my cooking, it hits close to home.

Second, and much more interesting, my cousin Maria Filice has put together her very first cookbook, and based the recipes on a restaurant there. It was the birthplace of her late husband, a man whose passion for food is legendary.

You can check out Maria’s blog at foodandfate.blogspot.com, or watch her latest video on YouTube.

Tonight’s the launch party for the book, and I promise to bring you all the details, and maybe even a recipe or two.

And the best part of all of this is that net profits from the sale of the book go to the rebuilding efforts in L’Aquila.