The Authors

Dave Valletta has had a lifelong romance with food. Ever since his mother first showed him how to prepare sauces as a young boy, Dave developed a love for cooking. This passion led to the opening of his restaurant "Valletta's" in 1984. This is where he began to sharpen his skills to prepare delicious, home cooked meals.

After leaving the restaurant business, Dave continued to experiment with different flavors, putting his own sumptuous spin on classic meals. He is a frequent host for friends and family, who ultimately convinced him that he needed to share his unique recipes with others.

Although Dave is passionate about cooking, the true love of his life, and inspiration for this cookbook, is his wife Denise, who he met at a cousin's wedding nearly three decades ago. For the past 26 years they have enjoyed a loving marriage filled with great fun, food, faith and four wonderful children - Stephanie, Anthony, Teresa and Dominic. As a hopeless romantic, Dave uses every opportunity to romance his wife and believes that is the key to a happy, successful marriage. On trips he carries a "romance kit" that includes a CD player, two or three disks of love songs, candles, and a bottle of champagne, because he truly believes that preparing a romantic night for your spouse is one of the most rewarding experiences, and can happen anywhere.

Dave has spent the last three years compiling his delectable recipes and romance tips to create To Romance, With Love, the ultimate guide to igniting the flame in any marriage.

Along with his natural culinary skills, Dave and Denise have served as premarital advisors for dozens of South Florida couples. They love to share advice on relationships, stories and tips with their friends, and sometimes even strangers they meet on the street.

In addition to being an author, food enthusiast, and romance debonair, Dave is the owner of Above All Landscape, and resides with his wife and children in Deerfield Beach, Florida.