October 30, 7:00 P.M. Dinner: A Tribute to Marcella Hazan Featuring Giuliano Hazan With Art Smith
October 30, 2024 07:00 PM
Join Us for a Celebration of the Iconic Italian Cookbook Author
25 11th Ave, New York, NY 10011, USA
Prolific and revered, cookbook author Marcella Hazan is considered one of the foremost authorities on Italian cooking. Julia Child valued her as her “mentor in all things Italian,” and for millions of Americans, she is the definitive source for Italian cooking wisdom.
Born in a small fishing village in Emilia-Romagna and trained as a scientist, Hazan never cooked until she married and moved to America with her husband, Victor. There, she worked tirelessly to recreate the Italian dishes she and Victor craved from home. She soon abandoned her career as a biologist and embarked on a career of teaching Italian cooking — eventually, in collaboration with Victor, authoring six landmark cookbooks that have become go-to references for home cooks and served as inspiration for professional chefs. Marcella transformed how Americans cooked Italian, introducing millions to authentic ingredients and traditional techniques. As uncompromising as she was beloved, Craig Claiborne wrote in the New York Times, “No one has ever done more to spread the gospel of pure Italian cookery in America.” In celebration of three momentous occasions: her 100th birthday year, Knopf's reissue of the indispensable cookbook Marcella's Italian Kitchen, and the release of the upcoming documentary film, MARCELLA, her son Giuliano Hazan along with two-time James Beard Award winner® Art Smith, celebrated chef and executive producer of the soon-to-be-released documentary, will be cooking a multi-course menu of Marcella’s most cherished recipes. Please join us as we pay tribute to an icon of Italian cooking and winner of the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award: the incomparable Marcella Hazan.
A sneak peek of the documentary, MARCELLA, will be previewed during the dinner with an introduction by director, Peter Miller. Peter is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning director and producer, as well as a longtime collaborator with America’s most celebrated historical filmmaker, Ken Burns.
Copies of Marcella's Italian Kitchen by Marcella Hazan: Updated Version with a Foreword by Molly Baz will be available for purchase from our partners at Kitchen Arts & Letters
Dining Table $185 | Internal Chefs Counter $200 | External Chefs Counter $160
MENU
Aperitivo
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Crostini Bianchi> Ricotta–Anchovy Canapé
Contains dairy, nuts, shellfish, and wheat
Marcella’s Italian Kitchen
Tartine di Mortadella e Cetriolini > Whipped Mortadella and Pickles
Contains dairy, nuts, and wheat
Marcella’s Italian Kitchen
Tonno sott’Olio Mantecato>Tuna Spread with Capers
Contains dairy and wheat
Brooks Renewal Summer Sparkling Riesling 2018
Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco DOCG NV
Antipasto
Foccacia al Rosmarino e Sale Marino
Contains dairy and wheat
Marcella’s Italian Kitchen
Barchette di Zucchine Ripiene di Gamberi > Shrimp-Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Foccacia
Contains dairy, shellfish, and wheat
Brooks Ara Riesling 2022
Dinner
Marcella’s Italian Kitchen
Risotto coi Pomodori Freschi e Basilico> Risotto with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
Contains alliums and dairy
Il Poggione Brancato Rosato 2022
Marcella’s Italian Kitchen
Lombo di Maiale Arrosto In Tegame coi Porri> Pan-Roasted Pork Loin with Fresh Leeks
Contains alliums and dairy
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Carote Saltate coi Capperi> Sautéed Carrots with Capers
Contains alliums
Melville Estate Syrah 2021
Dessert
Marcella’s Italian Kitchen
Torta di Amaretti e Cioccolato> Chocolate–Amaretto Cake
Contains dairy and wheat
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Brutti Ma Buoni with Caffè Lavazza > Piedmontese Almond Cookies
Contains dairy, nuts, and wheat
Nonino Grappa Chardonnay
Wine generously donated by Brooks and Melville Winery
Grappa generously donated by Nonino
About Marcella Hazan:
When it made its nationally acclaimed appearance in 1973, The Classic Italian Cookbook established Marcella Hazan’s place in gastronomic history. Her cookbook opened wide the doors through which Italian culinary culture subsequently entered and transformed American life. She changed the way people thought and spoke about Italian food, and shopped, cooked, and ate it. This fall sees Knopf's reissue of Marcella's Italian Kitchen where, with imperishable recipes, she renews her call for fresh ingredients and simple cooking.
Hazan proclaimed, “Cook not from the head, but from the heart!” Hers was the voice that started a major gastronomic revolution and that continues to be a clear, persuasive call. It was Hazan’s example that first released people from the intimidating tenets of gourmet cooking, that trail-blazed the road of simple cooking with fresh ingredients that millions now travel on.
Hazan’s manuscripts and kitchen tools were recently acquired by the Marcella Hazan Collection at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington. In 1986, Hazan was inducted by the James Beard Foundation into its Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. In May 2000 she received the James Beard Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, her seventh James Beard Award. In 2004, she was knighted by the President of Italy.
About Giuliano Hazan:
Giuliano is the only child of Marcella Hazan. Giuliano’s true passion has always been teaching authentic Italian flavors. He has done this in his many books, starting with The Classic Pasta Cookbook, an international bestseller with half a million copies in print which was nominated for the coveted James Beard Award®. He has also traveled the world, teaching the flavors and philosophies of Italian cooking to appreciative audiences at the Smithsonian Institution in DC, luxury cruise ships sailing around the world, and as far as Japan. In 2007 the International Association of Culinary Professionals named him Cooking Teacher of the Year. He has appeared on national television including several appearances on the Today Show. Together with his wife, Lael, he runs an acclaimed cooking school in Italy featured on the Television Food Network and Gourmet Magazine and ranked in the top ten in the world by major media outlets including Food & Wine magazine.
About Art Smith:
Chef Art Smith is the executive chef and co-owner of six restaurants including Disney’s Homecomin’ and Chicago’s Reunion. Smith is a two-time James Beard Award winner, New York Times best-selling cookbook author, and cooks for the world's most famous celebrities. He worked for former Florida governors, Bob Graham and Jeb Bush, and was personal chef to Oprah Winfrey for ten years. Media appearances include ABC’s Lady Gaga Thanksgiving, Top Chef, Top Chef Duels, Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef America, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Extra, Entertainment Tonight, BBQ Pitmasters, The Talk, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Smith founded Common Threads, a nonprofit teaching children to prepare wholesome and affordable meals.
About the Film MARCELLA:
MARCELLA is the first documentary about the remarkable life of Marcella Hazan. More than a culinary icon, Marcella was a pillar of resilience whose life story is presented in this captivating film. Overcoming early life challenges, including the loss of full function in her right hand, Marcella went on to earn a dual doctorate in the sciences before immigrating to New York. There she reinvented herself, becoming the godmother of Italian cooking. MARCELLA takes us on a dramatic, emotional, and delicious journey through her improbable, inspiring life story.
Cooking her renowned recipes and providing insightful commentary are a diverse group of luminaries, including legendary French chef Jacques Pépin, beloved television chef Lidia Bastianich, culinary innovator Shola Olunloyo, distinguished restaurateur Danny Meyer, celebrity chef April Bloomfield, Marcella’s husband, Victor Hazan and her son, chef Giuliano Hazan.
MARCELLA, an Oak Street Pictures and Willow Pond Films production, will be released in early 2025 by Greenwich Entertainment. Major funding provided by Executive Producer, Margie Geddes.
About Renée Frigo, Producer:
Renée Frigo, Producer’s Guild Member and founder of Oak Street Pictures, recently released the award-winning documentary, LOVE, CHARLIE: THE RISE AND FALL OF CHEF CHARLIE TROTTER distributed by Greenwich Entertainment. Oak Street also celebrated the successes of NINE DAYS, TESLA, and ASHE ’68. Renée is the co-founder and former CEO of Lucini Italia, the number one premium Italian brand in over 20,000 US stores. Before Lucini, she followed her love for music working for I.R.S. Records, EMI Records, and Sony Music while receiving her executive MBA from UCLA. She serves on the Ed Asner Family Center Board of Directors supporting children with autism and special needs. www.oakstreet.pictures
About Peter Miller, Director:
Peter Miller is an Emmy and Peabody-award winning director and producer, a long-time collaborator with Ken Burns, America’s most celebrated historical filmmaker. Peter’s previous films include Sacco and Vanzetti, A.K.A Doc Pomus, Jews and Baseball (narrated by Dustin Hoffman), Robert Shaw: Man of Many Voices, the DuPont-Columbia Award-winning Sundance hit Bedlam, and A Class Apart, now being adapted as a feature film by Eva Longoria. The Los Angeles Beat described Peter’s filmmaking as “one of the preeminent bodies of work in current documentary cinema.” More about his work is at willowpondfilms.com.
Tickets to events held at Platform at Pier 57 by the James Beard Foundation cover the cost of food, education and a unique dining experience. Meals are prepared by culinary masters from all regions of the United States and around the world. Unless otherwise stated, alcoholic beverages are provided on a complimentary basis and are not included in the ticket price.
James Beard Foundation events permit guests age 21 years and older to attend events where alcoholic beverages are served.