Book excerpt: Inspired by his traditional Italian upbringing, travels to over 50 countries and living in New York City, Anthony Michael Vitalone created The Big City Small Kitchen Cookbook to offer a healthy alternative to some popular ethnic dishes. However, the main purpose was to provide recipes for everyday foods that do not require specialized ingredients, much time or a large kitchen. Meant to inspire the home chef, The Big City Small Kitchen Cookbook illustrates that, despite time and space constraints, anyone can cook. Each recipe contains a base recipe, typically with a focus on reduced fat, sugar and calories. Each one-page recipe also provides a Note and Variation section. The Note provides cooking tips, additional information or safety guidelines. The Variation section of each recipe lists additional ingredients that can be used or food substitutions. Both sections are meant to inspire the reader to experiment and alter a recipe to suit their own taste or dietary needs. The recipes in this book are written specifically to serve two to four people. These scaled-down recipes are an ideal way to reduce preparation and cooking times. "A perfect companion for any Big City, Small Kitchen Chef."