Encompassing the harsh and heart-rending realities of true love and loss, Netflix’s drama series “From Scratch” follows Amahle “Amy” Wheeler (Zoe Saldaña), a Texan student who meets her soulmate — a Sicilian chef named Lino (Eugenio Mastrandrea) — while studying in Italy. Amy only expected to experience art and culture on her European journey; little did she know her life would never be the same.
After falling deeply and hopelessly in love, Lino moves to America to be with Amy, only for a shocking cancer diagnosis to shake their world. Despite Lino’s declining health, the couple finds strength in love and family (and pasta), even getting married and having a daughter together.
The “delicious and bittersweet” story is based on actress Tembi Locke’s 2019 New York Times bestselling memoir “From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home.” Tembi is also the series’s co-creator and executive producer.
Just as Amy’s husband, Lino, tragically loses his battle with cancer in “From Scratch,” Tembi Locke lost her dear husband, Rosario “Saro” Gullo, to the fatal disease in 2012. Though the couple’s love lives on through Tembi’s poignant memoir and the series, many wonder if the actress and author moved on romantically. Let’s introduce you to her new husband.
Tembi Locke’s New Husband
According to The Cinemaholic, Tembi met her now-husband, Robert, in 2016. The two got married in 2020. Tembi’s daughter, Zoela, of course, attended the ceremony in person, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most guests attended via Zoom.
Initially, Tembi struggled to move on with her life after Saro’s passing. She didn’t know if she’d ever experience romantic love again. But when Tembi’s sister, Attica — the showrunner of “From Scratch” — told her, “if you can fall in love once, and you can partner well once, you can do it again,” her perspective changed.
“When I was ready, Robert walked into my life,” Tembi shared on Lemonada Media’s New Day podcast. “And it’s been a beautiful, heart-opening, expansive journey to watch my daughter open her heart to a new person.”
A New Chapter of Love
Reading “From Scratch” only strengthened Robert’s profound bond with Tembi. Naturally, Tembi was “terrified” of Robert reading her vulnerable, tear-jerking memoir, fearing that he would compare himself to Saro. Eventually, however, she gave him her blessing.
After finally reading “From Scratch,” Robert uttered the most romantic combination of words: “This book is a gift to me. Because it gives me a template for your heart.” Someone hand us a tissue, stat!
“I think that’s what it means to be a partner after loss,” Tembi explained. “The person has to understand that the template of your heart includes a big broken piece that you are forever healing, forever reengaging.”
Just as Tembi wrote on Instagram, “the angels surely conspired” when these two crossed paths. “From Scratch” is currently streaming on Netflix.
The Journey Continues
“I will be the first to admit, I have had dark, hard days this summer,” Tembi shared. “People are suffering all around us. We are suffering our own private pains as the losses, public and private, keep rolling in. So the idea of celebrating anything was a real reach for me. And yet, there was a small voice inside me urging me to do the very thing that might lift my heart and push against heaviness and isolation.”
Tembi desired to embrace life fully, even during quarantine. She understood that each moment is a gift not to be wasted. So, on a whim, she and Robert went for a Zoom wedding. To her surprise, the scaled-down simplicity of it was stunning. Standing in their backyard under a fig tree, making vows to each other, was perfect for them and the moment.
Saro was watching over them as Robert made vows to Zoela. Friends brought over flowers, and they drove around the neighborhood making joyous noise with string and tomato sauce cans dragging behind their car. Zoela made their “Just Married” sign. It was perfect!
Tembi Locke’s Memoir and Her Late Husband’s Diagnosis
Tembi Locke, the author behind the book “From Scratch,” which was adapted into a Netflix series, revealed the first symptom that later led to her husband’s cancer diagnosis on the May 22 episode of “Making Space” with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb.
Locke said she and her late husband, Saro Gullo, an Italian chef, had just moved to Los Angeles when they went to a yoga class. “Believe it or not, he kind of hurt his knee in the class. And we didn’t really think that much of it,” Locke said. “But it lingered.”
Gullo went to get imaging done, and Locke said, “it became clear within about a couple of weeks that there was something more than just a meniscus that was torn.”
“It was leiomyosarcoma,” Locke said. “There was a lesion in his knee, in the soft tissue and the bone.” He was diagnosed in 2002 and lived for ten more years. Leiomyosarcoma is a rare, aggressive type of cancer that begins in smooth muscle tissue and is often found in the digestive system, urinary system, blood vessels, and uterus, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Living in the Moment
“That moment, when you get the diagnosis, it’s so arresting,” she said. “Even just talking about it, I feel like my body remembers it. I just remember being so stunned.”
Locke described working with an oncologist, who didn’t tell them what stage of cancer Gullo had. “I think that moment-by-moment living was a gift to us,” she said. “Because from the jump, it allowed us to just be present in our lives and with each other in the best way we could, under the circumstances.”
“From Scratch,” Locke’s bestselling memoir, followed Gullo and Locke’s early romance in Florence, Italy, and their challenges navigating a long-distance, cross-cultural relationship before Gullo moved to the U.S. Many of the pair’s milestones were included in the Netflix series of the same name starring Zoe Saldana.
The pair later adopted a daughter, Zoela, who was seven years old at the time of Gullo’s death in 2012 from complications from cancer.
The Impact of Saro’s Illness on Tembi’s Perspective
In her New York Times bestselling memoir, “From Scratch,” Tembi Locke invites readers into her heart, taking them on a journey through the romance of her and her late husband, Saro, her deep experience with grief, and her quest for healing in Italy. Locke leads readers to reflect on the brevity and breadth of life. The Conversation Project had the pleasure of connecting with Locke, who shared her insight on a series of questions about end-of-life care conversations.
Locke’s openness with Saro about his end-of-life wishes helped her care for him with compassion and understanding. This ongoing dialogue, particularly as his care shifted over a decade, proved invaluable. She emphasized the importance of listening and seeking support when needed to ensure her caregiving approach was aligned with Saro’s needs.
The Importance of Support for Caregivers
Tembi believes that family caregivers need a strong support system from healthcare providers, loved ones, friends, neighbors, and even work colleagues. This “squad” provides tactical support (transportation, food, laundry, childcare, getting the mail, donating sick days) and emotional support. Acts of kindness, such as sending cards, texting, hugging, or being an active listener, are crucial. Additionally, financial support when needed can make a significant difference.
The Role of Family Dynamics in Grief
Family dynamics play a crucial role during the loss of a loved one and the grieving process. Death can upend life, and everyone in the family may grieve the same person differently. Tembi had to make space for various expressions of grief, recognizing that her grief might look different from others. She advises including children in the grieving process, inviting them to share their feelings through writing or drawing, which helps them feel seen.
As Locke’s experience teaches us, having conversations with loved ones about end-of-life wishes can ensure they live a quality life until the end. Locke’s willingness to listen to Saro’s wishes granted him the transparency to share his values without fear of judgment. This approach allowed Tembi to be a confident advocate for Saro’s care, ensuring his needs were met.
Conclusion
Tembi Locke’s journey through love, loss, and renewal is a testament to the enduring power of love and the human spirit’s resilience. Her memoir, “From Scratch,” and the Netflix series based on it, offer a poignant exploration of these themes, inviting readers and viewers to reflect on the beauty and brevity of life. Tembi’s story reminds us that even in the face of profound loss, new love and joy are possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Tembi Locke’s new husband?
Tembi Locke’s new husband is Robert, whom she met in 2016. They got married in 2020.
2. What inspired the Netflix series “From Scratch”?
The series “From Scratch” is inspired by Tembi Locke’s 2019 memoir “From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home.”
3. How did Tembi Locke’s late husband, Saro Gullo, pass away?
Saro Gullo passed away in 2012 from complications related to leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive type of cancer.
4. How did Tembi Locke meet her late husband?
Tembi Locke met her late husband, Saro Gullo, while she was studying in Italy. They fell deeply in love, leading to a cross-cultural relationship.
5. How did Tembi Locke cope with her grief after Saro’s passing?
Tembi Locke coped with her grief through open conversations about end-of-life wishes, support from loved ones, and eventually finding new love with her now-husband, Robert.