Joseph Gannascoli attended St. John's University for two years majoring in Communications. His love for cooking led him to become a self-taught chef, working in restaurants across the country. His first movie role Money for Nothing teamed him with Benicio del Toro, who directed his next film Submission and introduced him to the casting directors for The Sopranos. Not forgetting his passion for cooking, he has also appeared on Emeril Live, and his new book, A Meal to Die For with Allen C. Kupfer was published by Tor/Forge.

by Joseph Gannascoli with Allen C. Kupfer

Benny Lacoco, “the Food Fence”, has a lot of time to think while preparing a ten-course meal for a few old friends. Over dinner, he expects to learn if he’ll be either permanently out of touch or on the outs with some of them. Rumors indicate that someone in their circle may have opted to turn state’s evidence and enter witness protection. Lacoco uses the time in the kitchen to reflect on his own life up to this point and the tentativeness of his own future.

Included with each course (recipe included) is a flashback of his life’s turning points - from heisting Omaha Steaks, to scamming olive oil, to a quite different way of performing a hit.

And always in the back of his mind is the question - will this evening provide him with the just desserts of a life of crime?