Saro Gullo was a Sicilian chef who fell in love with an American woman, Tembi Locke, and moved to Los Angeles to start a new life with her. Their love story was the inspiration for the Netflix series From Scratch, based on Locke’s memoir of the same name. But their fairy tale romance ended tragically when Saro died of a rare form of cancer in 2012. Here is what you need to know about Saro Gullo’s cause of death and his life with Tembi Locke.
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How Did Saro Gullo Die?
Saro Gullo died due to leiomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects smooth muscle tissue. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2005, when he noticed a lump in his knee that turned out to be a tumor. He underwent several rounds of chemotherapy, an experimental trial, and a surgery to remove the cancerous tissue from his knee. He seemed to be cancer-free for seven years, during which he and Tembi adopted a baby girl named Zoela.
However, in 2012, Saro’s cancer returned and spread to his lungs. He was given only a few months to live and decided to spend his last days in his hometown of Aliminusa, Sicily, surrounded by his family and friends. He passed away on April 20, 2012, at the age of 42.
How Did Saro Gullo Meet Tembi Locke?
Saro Gullo met Tembi Locke in 1990, when she was a 20-year-old student studying abroad in Florence, Italy. He was a 21-year-old chef working at a restaurant near the Duomo. They bumped into each other on the street and felt an instant attraction. Saro later told Tembi that it was love at first sight for him.
They started dating and soon fell in love. However, their relationship faced many challenges due to their cultural differences and family disapproval. Saro came from a traditional Sicilian family that did not accept his relationship with an American woman, especially because she was black. They also had doubts about the stability of American marriages and the compatibility of their lifestyles.
Tembi faced racism and prejudice from some of Saro’s relatives and neighbors, who called her derogatory names and made rude comments about her appearance. She also struggled to adapt to the Sicilian culture and language, which were very different from her own.
Despite these obstacles, Saro and Tembi decided to get married in 1999, after nine years of dating. They had a small ceremony in Los Angeles, where they settled down and pursued their careers. Saro opened his own restaurant called Osteria Mamma, while Tembi worked as an actress and writer.
How Did Saro Gullo Inspire From Scratch?
Saro Gullo’s life and death inspired Tembi Locke to write her memoir, From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home, which was published in 2019. The book chronicles their love story, their struggles with cancer and grief, and Tembi’s journey of healing and finding home in Sicily with her daughter Zoela.
The memoir was adapted into a Netflix series called From Scratch, which premiered in October 2022. The series stars Zoe Saldana as Amy (based on Tembi) and Eugenio Mastrandrea as Lino (based on Saro). Tembi also served as an executive producer for the series, along with Reese Witherspoon and Saldana.
Tembi said that she wrote the memoir and agreed to the adaptation as a way of honoring Saro’s memory and legacy. She also hoped that their story would inspire others who are going through similar challenges or losses. She said in an interview with TODAY:
“I hope that people see themselves reflected in our story. I hope that they see that love is possible even when it seems impossible. I hope that they see that grief is not something that we have to run away from or be afraid of. It’s something that we can lean into and learn from. And I hope that they see that there is beauty everywhere.”
