The Firefighters Cookbook is a specialty cookbook about the recipes that Firefighters mostly across the East Coast use to cook daily. Being a Firefighter, shifts can range from several hours to even many days, so why not enjoy what you’re eating? John Sineno, a 28-year Italian veteran of the Harlem Engine Company Group 58, is the author of “The Firefighters Cookbook.” He was an award-winning Firefighter chef and was known through all of New York City for the amazing recipes he had put into his books, which can be found in almost every fire station in the city (Rhoades, 2003). This cookbook was published in 1996, around the time period when the internet was not around to look up meals to cook as easily as it is today. He even mentions in the preface that he wrote the book on his typewriter so Google was not an option. Sineno comes off as more of a guide to help all of the other firemen that have to cook for a large group of people.
The targeted audience for this cookbook is firefighters, or even somebody cooking for large group of people. Almost all of the meals’serving sizes range anywhere from 2 to 20 people. Some of Sineno’s serving sizes are even labeled as ” Enough for an army of hungry firemen!” (Sineno, 1996, p. 143). Although most of this book is Sineno’s fine work, other recipes come from different firefighter chefs around the world and have helpful instruction. Sineno wants to inspire other fire stations to cook authentically, just like he did in station 58 for 28 years. He picks his favorite recipes and shows you the best way to cook it.
Unlike other cookbooks, the recipes come off as easy to make. This book is very direct on exactly what to do and the steps behind it. It isn’t meant for completely experienced chefs, but rather people who can put together a quality meal if they have the materials and ingredients. This book is broken down into six different categories: appetizers, pastas, main courses, vegetables, breads, and desserts. All of these different varieties of food are essentials for making a large meal for big groups of people, just like the book is targeting.
Most of the recipes in this book are Italian. During this time period, and even still today, there is a huge Italian influence in New York City and that is seen throughout the recipes. Most of these recipes in the book are generally associated with the Italian ethnicity due to the fact that New York is extremely Italian based. For example, there is a special recipe from Captain Robert Triozzi, who happens to be in Rome, Italy part of the Firemen production for the US embassy (Sineno,1996, p. 65). This meal is made with the most authentic Italian ingredients, some unable to find in America.
Gender roles take place through out the entire book as it is apparent that majority of firefighters are men and that is not just a sterotype. A lot of the recipes in the book are considered more masculine than other meals that are presented as feminine. Also firefighters are mostly apart of the middle-class, it is appreant that none of the meals are overly expensive or have a heavy cost to make. They also live on budgets from the firehouse that allow them to spend money on high quality tasty food.
Firefighters also need to stay on a somewhat healthy diet. They do a lot of work with there body and need to be in top condition. Also, a reason why that there is different types of food that range from healthy to unhealthy. Sineno being known as “mama Sineno” he gave the men what they needed to stay healthy and still eat lots of protein. He was called him mama because all of his brothers knew he’d be taking care of them in the kitchen and getting them fed daily. “On why they call him mama, when I first walked into the firehouse I was “brother” from brother I made it to “mama” specifically “Mama Sineno’s kitchen” than they started calling me “Papa” and I became in charge of the whole family” (Sineno, 1996, p.51) . 
The author of this cookbook audits some of the recipes and gives examples of using the recipes into stories. For example, Sineno uses the recipe Shrimp with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and White Clam Sauce on Pasta for his Christmas Eve Dinner. (Sineno, 1996, p.90). In his book, he talks about how he uses this recipe on Christmas Eve and describes how he made the meal and who he cooked it for. The majority of Sineno’s recipes are based off his traditions and his background of Italy. Sineno tells stories about his favorite recipes and exactly why he chose to share them.
One of the main things we talked about a lot in class was tradition. He has a a lot of different examples in the book of the traditions they celebrate together. Meals ranging from Thanksgiving dinner to Veterans Day celebrations. These traditions are important enough to for him to put into the book, so you know those truly matter to him.
Another topic that we talk about a lot in class is authenticity. This subject is present in the book as I mentioned a recipe from Rome, Italy earlier. New York is a place where you can find a lot of those fresh ingredients and have the ability to cook almost any meal. A lot go those authentic ingredients used to make Italian food and the main ethnicity present throughout the book is Italian.
John Sineno is known for changing the food game in the kitchens of firehouses across the country with his famous meals. He unfortunately lost his battle to cancer in 2001, but his recipes live with us forever.
Reference list:
Sineno, J., Rhoades, L., & Queens Chronicle. (n.d.). John Sineno, 72, Firefighter Chef Loses His Battle To Cancer. Retrieved from http://www.qchron.com/editions/north/john-sineno-firefighter-chef-loses-his-battle-to-cancer/article_38bb360d-cf99-5073-8d55-f952dc38cc39.html
Sineno, J. (1996). The new firefighters cookbook. New York: Simon & Schuster.