top of page

Available in Paperback

      Attention
      Book Clubs!
 
   *FREE SHIPPING*

  on 5 or more books!

  • Instagram
  • Facebook

    A tasty, chewy, true Sicilian-American saga by author,
    Suzanne Lo Coco

    Secret Dough Front cover final 3.12_edit
    IMG_9013.jpg

    About Secret Dough

    There is a Sicilian saying for just about every irony in life, and Sicilian immigrant Giovanni Lo Coco kept those dictums at the ready. They were pearls of wisdom for his daughter Suzanne as she strived to step into her father’s big shoes in the family restaurant business, and she used them as touchstones for each chapter of her memoir, Secret Dough.

    ​

    Suzanne’s father and mentor, a gregarious and spirited immigrant chef, is a prominent character and culinary influence, who colors all aspects of this lively story. Suzanne was raised on a diet of Lo Coco’s pizza, Sicilian drama, and all the intrigue that a clash of cultures, personalities, and stepparents could dish out.

    ​

    Lo Coco leads her readers on an often-delicious adventure with unique dinners out, and off to Sicily, where Suzanne is introduced to the full flavor of Sicilian traditions, ancient and modern, as she learns worldly ways via food, the social scene, and the marketplace. Through several chewy twists and turns, the reader meets villains, like the one who tries to steal Giovanni’s secret dough recipe or the Scientologists who suddenly become the new landlords.

    ​

    Throughout this true coming-of-age story, Lo Coco’s is the center of Suzanne’s world through relationships and romances as she emerges into adulthood. While following her mentor, she witnesses this resilient man stand up to those who would prejudge him wrongly as a gullible immigrant just as she herself must push back as a female operating in a male-dominated industry. This intimate saga follows Suzanne’s life through a series of self-defining moments, which are often served up with a dollop of wit and a dash of humor.

    About
    In The Press

    "A true, tell-all account by a sassy restaurant brat who grew up to lead several beloved Sicilian-American restaurants ... around California.

    Anyone who has dined at one of the Lo Coco family’s restaurants and returned again and again for the good food and fun will recognize a bit of their own experience as Suzanne Lo Coco spills it out in this raucous and highly entertaining memoir.

    When I first dined at Lo Coco’s on Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue in 1984, I was charmed by the two child waitresses who served up our pizza and wine (oh…did I say wine?). One turned out later to be a snappy good writer, and gosh, how much I didn’t know!"

    —Edible East Bay

    For all inquiries, interviews, or to schedule an event: lococosecretdough@gmail.com
     

    First Lo Coco's menu 1971.jpg
    Available in Paperback
    dad-car-GG bridge 1963.jpg
    Dedicated to the memory of Giovanni Maria-Antonio Lo Coco, my dad, mentor, all-time favorite chef, and my greatest inspiration for storytelling.
    My Books
    In the press
    Book signing events.jpg
    Events
    bottom of page