The 2015 edition of The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook is now available.  Hailed as "One of the year's more engaging cookbooks..." by the New York Times, the book has sold well over 100,000 copies.   The 268-page spiral-bound book contains recipes from thirty-five countries.   Mr. Bernardin's goal was to tell the Ellis Island immigrant story from the often-lost recipes our forbearers would have been most anxious to make in their new American kitchens.   Foods and smells that would remind them of the home they left behind:  Everyday hearty meals but also special foods made on holidays to keep their native traditions alive.

The recipes are introduced with family memories, which make for cover-to cover reading.  The book also contains a History of Ellis Island, Chronology, Immigrant Food Memories Tips On Planning Your Trip, etc.

Mr. Bernardin is a former Ellis Island ranger at pre-restoration Ellis Island (1978, 79, 80).

He was inspired to collect these recipes while presenting his slide-lecture, Ellis Island: The Gold Door to innumerable senior citizen centers and nursing homes.  He continues to present his lecture and is now an independent tour guide specializing in tour of Ellis Island.