Watch: ‘No Pressure At All!’ – Corinthia Palace’s Chef Francesco Mazzei Cooks For King Charles, David Beckham And More At Star-Studded Dinner
A fancy dinner featuring King Charles, Queen Camilla, David and Victoria Beckham, Donatella Versace, Dame Helen Mirren and Stanley Tucci saw a celebration of Italian food in a feast of sustainable “slow food”. And at the heart of it all was Corinthia Malta’s world-renowned Chef Francesco Mazzei.
Last Friday’s event at Highgrove, which was hyped all across UK press, had food front and centre, a formal dinner ahead of the royal couple’s April visit to Italy which will see them meeting Pope Francis and Italian leaders on a trip which is expected to coincide with their 20th anniversary.
Stanley Tucci – who presented BBC’s Searching For Italy food and culture show – was clearly very proud of his friend Mazzei, who even gave a major interview to The Telegraph about his creation: an “Italian meal with uniquely flavours” inspired by Tucci himself. And yes, we’re talking about Yorkshire pecorino, Scottish crab panzanella, Westcombe ricotta and a whole lot of home-grown products… except the olive oil!
The night’s culinary team also featured Corinthia Palace’s pastry chef Marine Zerbib and Head Chef Simone Petull.
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Describing his food as “Mamma’s cooking with a chef’s hands”, Mazzei managed to perfectly pull off the high-stakes dinner, but was aware of just how big the event was going to be. “No pressure at all! If they enjoy it, I don’t know, but I tried my best,” he joked, before adding that it was “a great honour, probably one of the best things I’ve done in my career”.
“It is a great joy for my wife and I to welcome you all to Highgrove and, above all, to be able to offer our warmest gratitude to Ambassador Lambertini, to Stanley Tucci, and to chef Francesco Mazzei for their combined efforts to arrange such a special Italian occasion,” the King said in his opening speech and toast. “I can only hope they are still talking to each other at the end of it all!”
Francesco Mazzei is currently in residency at Attard’s Villa Corinthia, right in the heart of Malta at the Corinthia Palace.
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