For centuries, Mediterranean women—from classic beauty Helen of Troy to our own "reel"-time goddess Sophia Loren—have known the secret of healthy eating, living, and being. Mediterranean women have long embraced a natural vitality, sensual earthiness, grace, and warmth that allows them to be authentically themselves, to live long, spiritually rewarding—and thin!—lives, freed from empty calories, empty diet promises, impossible standards, and a "say no to food" mentality.
Thanks to the influence of cooking lessons in her Italian grandmother's kitchen, Melissa Kelly, co-owner and executive chef of Primo Restaurant, revels in sharing how every woman can extract the essence of the Mediterranean spirit and make it uniquely her own. From the cuisines of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, women learn how to maintain a healthy weight even as they discover and delight in the Mediterranean approach to food: the joy of the colors, textures, aromas, and flavors.