Laurina's Kitchen: Generations of Heirloom Dishes from the Ecobelli Family

by Lora Lee Ecobelli & Tom Ecobelli

ISBN-13: 978-0-9833897-9-8
ISBN-10: 0-9833897-9-9
LCCN: 2012943731
Product #: SCP-0040
Retail Price: $31.95
Physical: 108 pages, 8.5" x 11", softcover, color interior, 234 illustrations
Publication Date: August 4, 2012
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Publication Information Sheet

Softcover - $31.95
Ordering & shipping info

Book Summary

Laurina’s Kitchen is a collection of recipes, memories, and stories inspired by the authors' grandmother Laurina Ecobelli. Laurina (Laura), along with their grandfather Donata (Dan), and their father Ralph, operated Ecobelli’s Tam O’Shanter Inn on Route 50 in Ballston Spa for over 40 successful years. This lively and entertaining cookbook contains the heirloom family recipes for many of the popular dishes for which ”The Tam” was famous, including their legendary pizzas. Also featured are recipes from close friends and other members of the Ecobelli family who were all inspired by Laurina’s creative flair. A colorful and eclectic mix of ephemera, such as menus, postcards, and newspaper articles, help to bring this Upstate New York institution back to life. Peppered throughout are images of the Ecobellis and their extended "family" around the restaurant and at home, as well as special memories contributed by the staff, patrons, and friends who were all a part of the restaurant's devoted community. It is a loving tribute to Laurina’s legacy.

Laurina's Kitchen is a companion piece to the forthcoming movie, Chickadee, also written by the brother and sister team of Tom and Lora Lee Ecobelli. Chickadee is based on the real life experiences of Laurina Inzinna (Ecobelli), whose childhood abuse and exploitation sparked a landmark court case in upstate New York in 1923.

Book Preview (1.7MB PDF)

Press Releases

(PDF documents)

• 7/18/12 - Ecobelli’s to open doors August 4 for Laurina’s Kitchen book launch party
• 1/30/12 - Memories of Ecobelli’s Tam O’Shanter Restaurant sought by book publisher

Media Coverage

(These links will open another browser window.)

• 'Laurina's Legacy': Saugerties woman co-authors book on grandmother's extraordinary life - Story and video interview by Ann Gibbons @ The Daily Freeman (10/25/12)
• Bringing "Chickadee" to Life - article in Generation Monthly Magazine (August 2012) by Ann Forbes Cooper
• Cookbook celebates Ecobelli's - Table Hopping blog - Steve Barnes @ timesunion.com (7/31/12)
• Lora Lee Ecobelli interview - Between the Lines (WGXC) with Ann Forbes Cooper
• Lora Lee Ecobelli: One Smart Chickadee - article in Her Life Magazine (May 2012) by Ann E. Butenas
• Lora Lee Ecobelli interview - Alternatives for Healthier Living with Hank McGrath
  (NOTE: This is a long show with intermittent music; once the broadcast starts, you can jump to 26:45 if you want to listen to just Lora Lee's interview.)
• A Heaping Serving of Memories - article for The Spotlight by Julie Cushine-Rigg

Author-maintained Web Pages

• Ecobelli Cooking Demonstrations - 5 movie clips of Ralph Ecobelli giving away his secret recipes and demonstrating how to make some famous Ecobelli dishes.
• Book Launch Event Video - Short video of the August 4, 2012 launch party. (Video by Mary Hauprich-Reilly, Legacies Unlimited)
• Old Home Movies - 6 movie clips of Ecobelli's Tam O'Shanter Inn and the Ecobelli family. (Descriptions and indexes listed with each.)
• Laurina's Kitchen - Facebook page for the book.
• Chickadee - Official movie web site.
• Chickadee on Facebook - Facebook page for the movie.

About the Authors

Tom and Lora Lee Ecobelli are a brother and sister writing team originally from Ballston Spa, New York. Their family owned Ecobelli's Tam O'Shanter Inn for over forty years. They are both actors, writers and producers, and the writers/producers of the feature film Chickadee based on a journal written by their grandmother Laurina.

Author Events