Michael Turback was the visionary operator of Turback’s of Ithaca for nearly three decades, setting the standard for what we now call “New York State Cuisine.” He not only created and nurtured one of the region’s first destination restaurants, he built his reputation around his ability to stalk, procure, and support the best of New York State’s food and wine. Turback was trained as a restaurateur at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, and opened Turback's of Ithaca at age 22. Combining inventiveness, passionate cooking with local ingredients, and the novel concept of a wine list with exclusively New York State products, the concepts pioneered Turback’s sparked “localvore” trends that are seen throughout today’s restaurant industry. Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Turback's “one of the wine-friendliest restaurants in America” and the restaurant was awarded “Best American Wine List” by Restaurant Business Magazine. Turback is the author of many books on the Finger Lakes food and wine scene, including Greeting From the Finger Lakes: A Food and Wine Lover’s Companion. Just like the produce in this cookbook, Izzy Lecek is locally grown. Born and raised in Ithaca, she has been invested in foodways from a young age. She worked at the Ithaca Youth Farm, farming and working with the community after high school. Professionally, she started her career at Moosewood restaurant, then worked as baker for Macro Mamas, creating vegan desserts for the Ithaca Farmers Market. Co-creating this book has instilled a deep understanding of the benefits of cooking with fresh, seasonal produce and ultimately brought her to the project. This work is a love letter to her hometown and its vibrant food community.