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I’m sitting alone in a conference room in StyleCaster’s office on 5th Avenue, but the meeting taking place is no ordinary one. I’m on a Zoom call with Stanley Tucci. The actor, chef, and author shoots me a wry smile through the computer as I ask him about his favorite restaurant in New York City. “I don’t have a favorite anything,” he deadpans. “I don’t.”
That’s not to say that Tucci doesn’t like anything—quite the contrary. He likes a lot of things, cheese being one of them. So much so, that he’s teamed up with San Pellegrino and Murray’s Cheese to create a savory cheese “cake.” He clarifies, “I suppose we should call it a cake of cheese, because it’s not actually a cheesecake. It’s just wheels of cheese.”
S.Pellegrino® & Stanley Tucci’s Holiday Cheese “Cake”Available for purchase starting November 11.
Indeed, the “cake” is made with three wheels of cheese, including La Tur, Mini Brie, and Cave Aged Reserve Cornelia, topped with a “star” made from Buonatavola Provolone. “We just wanted to come up with cheeses that have varying textures and tastes, and so there’s sort of something for everybody there,” he explains. “The idea is that you create what looks like a tiered cake, which is something that, my wife and I had at our wedding. Instead of a real wedding cake, we had a larger version of what you’re going to get in the San Pellegrino box, and it’s just great. It’s something you can have for the holidays. It’s a nice, beautiful looking thing. And as I said, different tastes and textures, before or after a meal, is really lovely.”
It’s been a busy year for Tucci. A few weeks ago, his rumored return to The Devil Wears Prada 2 circulated on social media, exciting fans everywhere. More recently, Tucci published his second memoir, What I Ate in One Year, in which he records 12 whole months of eating. I asked all about his food-related feats and opinions, below:
I read somewhere that you’ve said cheese is your desert island food. What’s the most unique way you’ve utilized it in a dish?
I said cheese is my desert island food? No, I think somebody is making that up. I love cheese, but it’s not my desert island food. That would be kind of gross. I would say pasta would be my desert island food with some cheese, of course.
I mean, I love cheese. When you think about it, all the thousands and thousands of cheeses there are in the world, it’s kind of incredible. And not just the varieties, but what you can do with them is incredible. Think about Parmigiano, how it’s used, how often it’s used, how it can be used, how the rind can be used. Most people throw away the rind of Parmigiano, but they’re invaluable in soups, stews, and Ragus. I saw a guy frying his rind, which sounds weird, the other day, and on, you know, Instagram or something, and it looked actually, really good.
So what kind of pasta would be your desert island pasta?
Lasagna Bolognese.
What to you, is the secret to great pasta?
Great wheat—the ingredient that makes the pasta, but more specifically the flour.
What’s your go-to lazy meal?
Well, if I really don’t feel like cooking it’s plain scrambled eggs. Otherwise, you can add little goat cheese, some spring onion, zucchini, potatoes, bell pepper. Make a frittata.
What did you learn about yourself in writing What I Ate In One Year?
I learned how often I ate the same things in one year. And the reason I eat them—because they’re comforting and healthy and quick to make for the most part. But, I learned that the more you explore the mundane, the deeper you end up. You end up discovering depths that you didn’t think were there.
What did you learn about other people?
How much I love them. Not everyone, though.
What is your favorite Italian phrase, and where did you learn it?
There’s a phrase that I learned when I was in Florence, when I lived there as a kid. And the Italians, the Florentines, always say, “Abbozzala,” which means, “Wrap it up.” If someone’s annoying, you’re telling them to stop it, you say, “Abbozzala,” which means, “Stop it.” It’s only in Florence that they use it or Tuscany, but I think particularly Florence, they’ll say, “Abbozzala,” which means like, “Wrap it up.” I think it’s funny.
If your kitchen could talk, what would it say about you?
It would say, stop making the same dishes all the time, probably. Make something new.
What is your favorite restaurant in New York City?
I don’t have one. I haven’t been to New York City in a long time. I don’t have a favorite. If I had to choose, it would be Il Gattopardo on 54th Street, right near the Museum of Modern Art. I love Il Gattopardo. There’s a wonderful fellow who runs it.
Any specific dish you like there?
No.
I’ll end on one last question. Which of your recipes is your favorite, and why?
I don’t have a favorite anything. I don’t. I love pasta with marinara. I love, as I said, lasagna Bolognese. I love risotto. I love risotto cakes. So I like them all.
