Italian cooking in America in the mid-twentieth century was an arid desert of dried basil flakes, enlivened by the occasional tumbleweed of meatball and oasis of canned red sauce. Americans were eating bastardized versions of Italian classics devoid of all flavor and passion years before The Olive Garden brought them to a mall near you. Except those who were lucky enough to be working with Leone's Italian Cookbook, however. Those folks were years ahead of their time. More

With all of this focus on the small things, it's little wonder that the Automats didn't make it. Changing lifestyles drove families from cities to suburbs, and fast food chains began their incursion onto the American lunch plate. But the food of the Automat lives on, in memories, books, films, and recipes. Baked beans might not be the fanciest, but they're typical of the low-cost, stick to your ribs type of food that kept thousands of urbanites going throughout two world wars and a Depression. More