Victor Hazan called me a white fly tonight.
And he meant it as a compliment.
Actually, it sounds much prettier in Italian.
I just got home from my evening with Marcella and Victor Hazan in front of more than 200 people at the Free Library in Philadelphia. I spent about an hour on stage with the famous Italian culinary couple interviewing them about their lives and new memoir "Amarcord: Marcella Remembers."
It was a long, long day for the Hazans. Marcella, known for her six cookbooks including "Marcella Cucina", did a segment this morning on "The Today Show" and then they had several events, including the Free Library gig I was doing. This is just the start of their book tour which includes stops in Seattle and San Francisco.
But you wouldn't have known that they had such a full schedule. Marcella, now 84, and Victor, 80, are as sharp and witty as ever. In fact, they were just getting started signing books for a snaking line of people when I left them.
I've been a bundle of nerves since being asked to interview the Hazans on stage. Their cookbook "Essentials of Italian Cooking" is one of my bibles. (Geez, Louise, JULIA CHILD asked Marcella for advice about risottos and homemade pastas.)
And he meant it as a compliment.
Actually, it sounds much prettier in Italian.
I just got home from my evening with Marcella and Victor Hazan in front of more than 200 people at the Free Library in Philadelphia. I spent about an hour on stage with the famous Italian culinary couple interviewing them about their lives and new memoir "Amarcord: Marcella Remembers."
It was a long, long day for the Hazans. Marcella, known for her six cookbooks including "Marcella Cucina", did a segment this morning on "The Today Show" and then they had several events, including the Free Library gig I was doing. This is just the start of their book tour which includes stops in Seattle and San Francisco.
But you wouldn't have known that they had such a full schedule. Marcella, now 84, and Victor, 80, are as sharp and witty as ever. In fact, they were just getting started signing books for a snaking line of people when I left them.
I've been a bundle of nerves since being asked to interview the Hazans on stage. Their cookbook "Essentials of Italian Cooking" is one of my bibles. (Geez, Louise, JULIA CHILD asked Marcella for advice about risottos and homemade pastas.)
But the Hazans and I met more than 10 years ago - and they remember and liked me. (They liked me. They really liked me!) Marcella inspired me to travel to Italy and every time I'm in Venice, I think of her and Victor and the stories they shared with me. (Victor told me to drop his name at a few restaurants on my next trip and promised I'd get outstanding service. I don't doubt it.)
We caught up before the event began and Victor complimented on my recent story on the couple. He and Marcella know my passion for Italian food and it put them at ease. I wasn't looking to play any gotcha games with the Hazans or go into details about their rocky relationships with book and magazine editors. Who cares? Every writer has arguments with their editor. That's the name of the game. People just want to hear their thoughts about Italian food and wine.
Victor found it refreshing and then he made the white fly comment. He said white flies are very rare in Italy and he was giving me a compliment. I'll take it.
It was a great evening. The Hazans relaxed on stage and I loved being able to share with others that Marcella is a big baseball fan. (She learned her first word of English - "strike" - by watching the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.) Pretty cool. She still loves baseball.
Before the event, some friends and I went to Osteria - Marc Vetri's fab Italian restaurant - c'mon we HAD to go to an Italian restaurant - and shared a few of the terrific pizzas.
The thin, cracker-like crispy crust is how pizza should be. Enjoyed it along with a glass of Tocai Friulano.
Life is pretty wonderful.
We caught up before the event began and Victor complimented on my recent story on the couple. He and Marcella know my passion for Italian food and it put them at ease. I wasn't looking to play any gotcha games with the Hazans or go into details about their rocky relationships with book and magazine editors. Who cares? Every writer has arguments with their editor. That's the name of the game. People just want to hear their thoughts about Italian food and wine.
Victor found it refreshing and then he made the white fly comment. He said white flies are very rare in Italy and he was giving me a compliment. I'll take it.
It was a great evening. The Hazans relaxed on stage and I loved being able to share with others that Marcella is a big baseball fan. (She learned her first word of English - "strike" - by watching the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.) Pretty cool. She still loves baseball.
Before the event, some friends and I went to Osteria - Marc Vetri's fab Italian restaurant - c'mon we HAD to go to an Italian restaurant - and shared a few of the terrific pizzas.
The thin, cracker-like crispy crust is how pizza should be. Enjoyed it along with a glass of Tocai Friulano.
Life is pretty wonderful.
2 comments:
Thanks so much for doing the interview! I would have been nervous too. It was thoroughly enjoyable and very special to see them interviewed in person. I was pleasantly surprised to see how charming they were. I only wish Victor had not given up on the new wine book...
Thanks Justin! I'm so glad you could make it. The Hazans are very charming and, in my experience, much more congenial than I think they are given credit for. I just heard that they so enjoyed the evening, which is both an honor and a pleasure to hear. Marcella is a born storyteller. I, too, was sorry to hear that Victor did not pursue the wine book.
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