This series is about… pasta. Four chefs tell us their stories, which are often quite sad, and explain how life’s challenges made them determined to fulfil their dreams. We see Italian handmade pasta made using incredible techniques, Chinese pasta and the mastery of wheat, Italian dry pasta, and the breaking of the myth that these are lower quality. We also see Khmer pasta cuisine, giving credit to a lesser-known cuisine that is perhaps even stigmatised. The series is somewhat dramatic, with numerous flourishes around each story, but the food preparation and photos are amazing. It makes me want to make fresh pasta, especially trofie, which are my favourite when served with pesto.
“Le mani ci vuole lo sfoglino dentro, non il metallo. Ci vuole dentro il cuore. Il pasto lo devi sentire. E li que ci vuole il cuore. Qui ci vuole farina, uova e aria, ma ci vuole il cuore nell’impasto.
“You need hands for the dough, not metal. You need your heart in it. You have to feel the dough. That’s why you need heart. Here, flour, eggs and air, but you need heart.”
Four episodes of approximately 50 minutes each.
Episode 1. Evan Funke – Funke in Los Angeles, United States
Episode 2. Guirong Wei – Master Wei in London, United Kingdom
Episode 3. Peppe Guida – Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa in Sorrento, Italy
Episode 4. Nite Yun – Nyum Bai in Oakland, California, United States