Tiny Hot Dogs a memoir in small bites by Mary Giuliani
Maybe you've seen her on The Rachel Ray Show,
The Today Show, or Good Morning America.
As CEO of Mary Giuliani Catering and Events,
she plans memorable parties with panache; just ask
the many celebrities who count on her to make
their soirees unforgettable.
Mary can turn the common hot dog into a culinary delight.
(who knew Elizabeth Taylor loved pigs-in-a-blanket?)
She's the force behind simple menus with innovative
presentations that make a splash with the rich and famous.
Now meet the other side of Mary Giuliani
(no relation to Rudy, in case you're asking) in
this poignant memoir that is not only eye-opening,
but laugh-out-loud amusing. (Reading about having
one eyebrow as an awkward child with few friends
might sound sad, but Mary manages to make it all so
humorous with her sassy style of writing).
She grew up on Long Island in a devout, Catholic
Italian family, but was enamored with converting
to the Jewish faith as a child. Her fascination with
Steve Martin's "The Jerk" had something to do
with her desire to transform herself. (If you've seen
the movie, the parallel becomes crystal clear).
Mary dreamed of being an actress, or of becoming
a cast member on Saturday Night Live, going to
great lengths to achieve those aspirations. She fell
short, but relentlessly continued her pursuits which
took her in another direction that she never imagined,
bringing her face-to-face with all those celebrity
crushes.
Through it all, Mary was fortunate to have some
pretty great cheerleaders in her corner, many
of which included her loving, eccentric family. Her
wildly capable mother bestowed upon her eleven
indisputable rules to live by, her father brushed
off his own fling with fame, demonstrating love
by example, and Grandfather, "Papa Charlie",
encouraged Mary's vivid imagination and comedic timing.
She writes with sincere thanks and admiration about
Chef Daniel, the boss who taught her so much and
then let her soar with wings of her own when the
time was right, and Lee, a woman old enough to
be her mother, who not only was a good
friend, but also the source of reliable advice
and fun at a time when Mary needed it the most.
And of course, Ryan, her husband and best friend
who has stayed by her side, weathering the ups and downs,
the laughter and the tears. It's exactly where he
remains today.
Disappointments along the way were many,
one of them being the inability to have a child.
But after fifteen years of infertility, joy arrived
in the name of a daughter named, Gala, a tribute
to Salvador Dali's wife. A holiday trip to
Spain gave Mary "permission to be perfectly
imperfect", and the realization that home, not
some foreign land, is where she wants to be.
Mary writes with humility, never seeming to forget
her upbringing. "Not everything has to be big.
Not everything has to be skywriting. Finding the big
in the small works for me to be happy with what
I've got. If we all want more from something, aren't
we always going to be disappointed?"
Pick up a copy of this refreshing, inspiring memoir and
perhaps make one of the many taste-tempting
recipes scattered throughout the book. Sit back, relax,
ponder your life's achievements (small as they may be),
laugh, find balance, dream big (but not too big that you
lose sight of what really matters), and be grateful for all
that you have, including friends that are the lasting ones.
Mary Giuliani certainly has done all of that and more.
Maybe you've seen her on The Rachel Ray Show,
The Today Show, or Good Morning America.
As CEO of Mary Giuliani Catering and Events,
she plans memorable parties with panache; just ask
the many celebrities who count on her to make
their soirees unforgettable.
Mary can turn the common hot dog into a culinary delight.
(who knew Elizabeth Taylor loved pigs-in-a-blanket?)
She's the force behind simple menus with innovative
presentations that make a splash with the rich and famous.
Now meet the other side of Mary Giuliani
(no relation to Rudy, in case you're asking) in
this poignant memoir that is not only eye-opening,
but laugh-out-loud amusing. (Reading about having
one eyebrow as an awkward child with few friends
might sound sad, but Mary manages to make it all so
humorous with her sassy style of writing).
She grew up on Long Island in a devout, Catholic
Italian family, but was enamored with converting
to the Jewish faith as a child. Her fascination with
Steve Martin's "The Jerk" had something to do
with her desire to transform herself. (If you've seen
the movie, the parallel becomes crystal clear).
Mary dreamed of being an actress, or of becoming
a cast member on Saturday Night Live, going to
great lengths to achieve those aspirations. She fell
short, but relentlessly continued her pursuits which
took her in another direction that she never imagined,
bringing her face-to-face with all those celebrity
crushes.
Through it all, Mary was fortunate to have some
pretty great cheerleaders in her corner, many
of which included her loving, eccentric family. Her
wildly capable mother bestowed upon her eleven
indisputable rules to live by, her father brushed
off his own fling with fame, demonstrating love
by example, and Grandfather, "Papa Charlie",
encouraged Mary's vivid imagination and comedic timing.
She writes with sincere thanks and admiration about
Chef Daniel, the boss who taught her so much and
then let her soar with wings of her own when the
time was right, and Lee, a woman old enough to
be her mother, who not only was a good
friend, but also the source of reliable advice
and fun at a time when Mary needed it the most.
And of course, Ryan, her husband and best friend
who has stayed by her side, weathering the ups and downs,
the laughter and the tears. It's exactly where he
remains today.
Disappointments along the way were many,
one of them being the inability to have a child.
But after fifteen years of infertility, joy arrived
in the name of a daughter named, Gala, a tribute
to Salvador Dali's wife. A holiday trip to
Spain gave Mary "permission to be perfectly
imperfect", and the realization that home, not
some foreign land, is where she wants to be.
Mary writes with humility, never seeming to forget
her upbringing. "Not everything has to be big.
Not everything has to be skywriting. Finding the big
in the small works for me to be happy with what
I've got. If we all want more from something, aren't
we always going to be disappointed?"
Pick up a copy of this refreshing, inspiring memoir and
perhaps make one of the many taste-tempting
recipes scattered throughout the book. Sit back, relax,
ponder your life's achievements (small as they may be),
laugh, find balance, dream big (but not too big that you
lose sight of what really matters), and be grateful for all
that you have, including friends that are the lasting ones.
Mary Giuliani certainly has done all of that and more.
