Two things about Parma Italian Roots in North Scottsdale augur that you may be in for a different kind of Italian meal. First, in a back corner, on a tiny white shelf, stands a copy of Flour + Water: Pasta, a canonical tome on progressive pasta. Its spine is stripped and fraying, looking so worn that it was likely used not dozens but hundreds of times.

The second thing is the nod to Parma and roots. Parma, a town in Emilia-Romagna, gives its name to Parmesan and prosciutto di Parma. Many Italians see Emilia-Romagna as their country’s most indulgent food region: a land of butter and broth, ancient egg pasta and long-cured pork. For six weeks in 2010, I worked on two farms in Emilia-Romagna, a sunburnt early summer run of hoeing vegetable fields and pruning grapevines. Despite the long days, I did not lose weight.