My grandmother’s oxtail ravioli is the greatest thing you will ever experience. ~ Mario Batali

For beloved chef Mario Batali, family recipes passed down through the generations are as precious as family photos, so he was moved to receive this thick archival Kolo Newport from Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., filled with extra pages to hold a treasure-trove of keepsakes.

Learning he is descended from royalty was pretty cool, too.

Batali, whose family emigrated to the U.S. from Italy, is one of several famous Americans whose lineage was researched by genealogical expert Gates and his team for the PBS series “Faces of America.”

Other luminaries who keep cherished family mementos in a Kolo Newport photo album include Meryl Streep, Kristi Yamaguchi, Yo-Yo Ma, Steve Colbert and Mike Nichols.

- Ugo