Cookbooks penned by star chefs often read more like media kits used to promote their restaurants, dazzle their fans, and boost their profiles rather than a helpful document filled with cooking tips and doable dishes. I don't know who's to blame, but chef-driven cookbooks also tend to make their authors out to be crashing bores rather than the gregarious, verging-on-out-of-control bon vivants they really are.

Faced with Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food by Andrew Carmellini, I glanced at the dust jacket to read about the author's background. A Cleveland native and veteran of famous New York kitchens like Lespinasse and Café Boulud, as well as his own restaurant, A Voce, Carmellini would surely offer more of the same. But after catching a cooking segment with Carmellini and TV chef Sara Moulton, I was so won over by his self-deprecating style (his chicken cacciatore looked pretty good, too) that I grabbed the book for a second look.

Indeed, Urban Italian is one terrific cookbook filled with appealing Italian recipes and plenty of helpful hints for both beginners and experienced cooks alike. Yet what really won me over were the anecdotes. Carmellini, who penned the book with his wife (Torontonian Gwen Hyman), has some great stories to tell of his evolution from 14-year-old bus boy to acclaimed New York chef, with a lot of work and not a whole lot of glamour on the way. Anthony Bourdain fans will appreciate Carmellini's hilariously edgy, true-life stories, which make up the book's first chapters. They should be requisite reading for any youngsters considering a career in professional cooking.

The chef also sticks to recipes he created in his home kitchen using easy-access ingredients, a domestic stove and what sounds like the world's worst ventilation hood. As for the recipes, each is inspired by his French training, his Italian-American heritage and the authentic Italian dishes he learned and tasted during his stages and travels throughout Italy.

Italy is the driving force behind this book, and his affection shines through whether he's praising Tuscan butchers or dissing Sicilian waiters. And his enthusiasm is infectious. Each recipe starts off with copious head notes so engaging you'll soon find yourself yearning to roll pasta, shape gnocchi, wrap prawns in prosciutto and sage, and toss liquid and rice back and forth in the pot until it looks like waves - Carmellini's secret to a perfect risotto.

The buzz: Urban Italian was recently chosen as one of Amazon's top-10 cookbooks for 2008 and selected as part of the Gourmet magazine cookbook club. Carmellini has been doing the TV circuit as well, cooking and chattin' with Martha Stewart and battling it out with Mario Batali and several wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano on Iron Chef America.

The test: The winter insalata of radicchio, pears and hazelnuts was lush with nutty flavour but a bit bitter for my dining companions. The chicken cacciatore was easy to make, deeply flavoured and utterly satisfying. Equally scrumptious were the braised lamb shanks with lemon, oregano and olives that again were fuss-free and fantastic. To serve alongside, I opted for the delicious microwave-cooked asparagus dressed with a zingy orange vinaigrette. Topped with marinated raspberries, the vanilla panna cotta was so good that I ate two for breakfast the next morning.

Who is this book for?: I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book. Beginners will be able to tackle most of these recipes with ease, and the flavour combinations are so bang-on that advanced cooks will be thrilled with the results. I can't see a recipe here I wouldn't make for either a family supper or fancy dinner party. This adapted recipe epitomizes Carmellini's easy and unpretentious cooking style:

Recipe: Chicken-Leg Cacciatore with Sweet Peppers,Fennel and Green Olives