Sandra Scalise Juneau has lived St. Joseph's Altars all her life. At age 5 in 1945, she portrayed the Virgin Mary in the "tupa tupa" ceremony, representing the Holy Family knocking on the door, at her Nonna Accardo’s dining room altar. She learned from her two Sicilian grandmothers how to prepare and bake the special foods, and she has passed that knowledge on to thousands in classes, lectures and now a cookbook.

Juneau conveys the magic of the sacred ancient tradition in “Celebrating with St. Joseph Altars” ($29.95), part of The Southern Table series from LSU Press. This is, without question, the most comprehensive work on the local traditions, starting with the deep history transported from Sicily. Juneau includes everything from how to create an altar to the litany and rosary of St. Joseph to a chapter on miracles attributed to St. Joseph.