L'Italo-Americano

LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano PAULA REYNOLDS " To eat good food is to be close to God" ~ Big Night ( 1 9 9 6 ) I t s o u n d s p r e t t y h e a v e n l y , alright: a new original tele- vision series featuring the d e l i g h t s a n d a p p e a l s o f Italy's regional foods told through the eyes and ears of certifiable Italo-phile, foodie a n d a c c o m p l i s h e d a c t o r Stanley Tucci. T u c c i k n o w s h i s w a y around an Italian kitchen. B o r n a n d r e a r e d i n N e w Y o r k S t a t e b y p a r e n t s o f Calabrian descent, Tucci's f o r m a t i v e y e a r s r e v o l v e d around what he describes as a "food obsessed" environ- ment. Recipes handed down through his Italian ancestors f i l l e d t h e f a m i l y ' s t a b l e , shaping a passion for the c u i s i n e . " W e w e r e e a t i n g these elaborate, very beauti- ful meals," Tucci shares. A year of his youth spent living with his family in Florence sealed the deal. It was another passion, however, that shaped Tucci's ultimate career path. A 1982 graduate in acting from The S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Y o r k , T u c c i ' s t a l e n t s a n d k e e n s e n s e o f c h a r a c t e r development have paved the way for his successful 40- year career on stage, in film, and on television. Versatile, able to morph into a broad array of characters with tan- talizing allure and believabil- ity, Tucci's talents are like a b u f f e t t a b l e o f a p p e a l : there's something for practi- cally everyone. A successful run of supporting roles in t h e 1 9 8 0 s a n d 1 9 9 0 s (Prizzi's Honor, Road to Perdition, Beethoven, Prelude to a Kiss to name a few) secured Tucci's place on major casting agents' ros- ters, opening the door to m a n y i c o n i c c h a r a c t e r opportunities. Whether play- ing the droll Nigel in The D e v i l W e a r s P r a d a , a c h i l l i n g s e r i a l k i l l e r i n L o v e l y B o n e s ( w h i c h snagged an Academy Award nomination for Tucci), or the o v e r - t h e - t o p C a e s a r F l i c k e r m a n i n H u n g e r Games, Tucci can pretty much do it all. " M a k e i t , m a k e i t , m a k e i t … m a k e t h e p a s t a ! " ~ B i g N i g h t (1996) It was a foodie cult film, B i g N i g h t , t h a t h e l p e d l a u n c h a n e n d e a r i n g a n d ongoing facet of Tucci's pro- fessional and personal life. The story examines, in often bitingly funny and some- times painfully raw ways, the trials of two brothers from Calabria and their struggle to make it as immigrant restau- rateurs in 1950s America. Perhaps projecting his own f r u s t r a t i o n s o f c u l i n a r y r e p r e s s i o n , T u c c i a s c o - writer examines elder broth- er Primo's intense passion for creating authentic Italian cuisine at any cost contrast- e d w i t h y o u n g e r b r o t h e r Secondo's push for doing whatever it takes to make it. The result is a head-on crash of dreams and desires with raw realities and loss…and redemption. Tucci also co-directed and co-starred in the film. While writing the script, he spent almost two years under the t u t e l a g e o f I t a l i a n c h e f Gianni Scappin. Learning to chop and dice and toss like a pro only deepened his culinary lust – "I'm more c o n s u m e d w i t h f o o d n o w more than I ever was." T h e c o n n e c t i o n w i t h Scappin evolved to a lasting friendship, as well as the inspiration for Cucina & Famiglia (1999), a cook- book featuring family recipes of both Tucci and Scappin. The book went out of press eventually, but with Tucci's increasing recognition and fame, demand soared. One to recognize a great opportu- n i t y , T u c c i s i n g u l a r l y a u t h o r e d T h e T u c c i Cookbook (2012), which a l s o f e a t u r e s s t o r i e s a n d a n e c d o t e s f r o m b o t h h i s mother's and father's sides of t h e f a m i l y . A r e c e n t l y r e l e a s e d f o l l o w - u p , T h e T u c c i T a b l e : C o o k i n g with Family and Friends ( 2 0 2 0 ) , s p o t l i g h t s m o r e Tucci family recipes along- side those of his wife Felicity Blunt and a slew of friends, all "tied together with a mod- ern American ribbon." Like spaghetti encircled on the tines of a fork, food seems to continually wrap i t s e l f a r o u n d m a n y s p e c - trums of Tucci's life. His role a s P a u l C h i l d i n t h e acclaimed Julia & Julia cemented a deep friendship with Meryl Streep forged over food and cooking. Love and devotion for all-things- culinary even led to love and devotion of the spousal kind. About a year after losing his first wife to breast cancer, Tucci accepted an invitation to the wedding of The Devil Wears Prada co-star Emily Blunt. An introduction to her sister Felicity led to lively chat, the topic quickly turn- ing to gastronomy. And the theme continues today eight years into their marriage as the two share much of their at-home time together in the kitchen with their two young children. The summation of Tucci's array of heritage, passion for Italy and Italian food, and undeniable charm in front of the camera, not to mention h o w w e l l h e f i l l s o u t a n Italian suit, leads us to his l a t e s t p r o j e c t - - S t a n l e y T u c c i : S e a r c h i n g f o r Italy . The six-part docu- series debuted Sunday night, February 14 th , on CNN, with Tucci taking us into the heart of vibrant Naples, across the water to Ischia, and finally settling in for Amalfi views and more fabulous food. The f i r s t f o u r e p i s o d e s w e r e filmed in pre-pandemic Italy, w h i l e t h e r e m a i n i n g t w o w e r e f i l m e d l a s t s u m m e r when restrictions were sub- stantially lessened. Although the viewer is reminded of this with Tucci's opening remarks… "I've arrived dur- ing a brief moment of nor- malcy" … it's a bit of a chal- lenge to push aside the previ- ous six months of tragedy still fresh in the hearts of Italians. T h e s h o w i s a r o m p , though, for anyone enam- ored with Italy, her history, culture, and most important- ly, food. Tucci's enthusiasm and unfeigned joy exploring, tasting, and sipping his way across Italy is contagious; who could help but smile and salivate while watching h i m g l e e f u l l y d i v e i n t o regional specialties while getting cozy with welcoming locals. Tucci takes us a step further as he delves beyond lighthearted cheese and wine pairings, adding a richer ele- m e n t t o t h e s e r i e s . Intellectual aspects such as historical influences behind regional cuisines and other why's are fascinating and fun. Tucci recently told CNN his desire is to open the eyes of Americans to the amazing diversity found within Italy. The series, Tucci's self-pro- f e s s e d " l o v e l e t t e r t o t h e p l a c e w h e r e m y f a m i l y i s from," a place that has con- tinually called him back, is the vehicle he hopes to use to illustrate how "…from geog- raphy, from invasions, from the influences of the Arab w o r l d , f r o m t h e S p a n i s h , f r o m t h e N o r m a n s , t h e A u s t r i a n s … [ I t a l y ] i s a n incredible culinary melting pot." He hopes, too, to break a f e w s t i l l s t r o n g l y h e l d stereotypes of Italian cuisine — p l e a s e d o n ' t a s k f o r spaghetti and meatballs, and no…there will not be chicken parmigiana on the menu. Sunday evenings, at least for the next month or so, open a beautiful opportunity to vicariously tag along with Tucci, joining him for meals from lavish to simple, loca- tions rural to courtly, and absolutely always accompa- nied by a delightful Italian wine. Get your gastronomic passport open and ready. Italian-American actor Stanley Tucci (Photo: Denis Makarenko/Shutterstock.com) Actor Stanley Tucci lets food tell the story

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