Seven couples, four generations.

The oldest branch of the family, Polish-Ukrainian, begins with Stefan and Anna Burdyan in Podhajce. When Stefan came through Ellis Island, a clerk copied his surname down wrong on the arrival manifest — and the misspelling stuck. The family has carried the changed name ever since; the recipes that came with them, borscht and pierogi among them, arrived intact.

The Irish American line. Their full marriage record is being confirmed from the family papers before we set it in print.

The Italian branch, the Pannozzos of Fondi. Vincenzo arrived in America with fifteen dollars to his name and eight years between him and the wife and daughter he'd left behind — years he spent working to bring them across. What he could carry was the cooking, and it became the family's.

The Puerto Rican–Scottish branch, the Suarezes. Angelo served in the Merchant Marine, which is how a man from the islands came to marry a Scottish woman in Glasgow and bring her home. Two very different tables — San Juan and the Clyde — set down together in New York.

The Burdian line, married in New York City between the wars. Fuller story copy is being drawn from the family papers.

The Pannozzos of Staten Island, married on the eve of the war. Fuller story copy is being drawn from the family papers.

Susan's own parents — the couple who bring the family into the present, and to whom this book is dedicated. Their marriage record and Julie's corrected portrait are reserved for the launch.