Mamma Agata’s cooking school has just collected another VIP guest among its clientele. On August 16th 2009, Mr. Pierce Brosnan, the charming, charismatic Irish actor who played the secret agent “007” in four films (“Goldeneye” – 1995, “Tomorrow never dies” – 1997, “The world is not enough” – 1999 and “Die another day” - 2002) attended a cooking class in Ravello with Mamma Agata, the most famous cook on the Amalfi Coast. He was joined by his lovely wife Keely Shaye Smith and his two sons Paris and Dylan.
On this very special day, Pierce Brosnan and his family closely followed the preparation of the dishes made exclusively with organic products that were cultivated by Salvatore (Mamma Agata’s husband) in their family garden, and then they tasted Mamma Agata’s culinary delights as they sat on a panoramic terrace overlooking the sea.
The menu consisted of typical local specialties including pizza, fried pizza, “spaghetti del contadino” (spaghetti of the farmer), lemon chicken, lemon cake and “zeppole”. And of course, all the while they were enjoying delicious local wines that were paired with each course exclusively by Gennaro Petti, who most recently served as chief Sommelier to Joanna Kerns and Woody Harrelson.
Mamma Agata has a respectable palmares, as she cooked for Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy and numerous Italian and international Heads of State but she still eagerly awaited Pierce Brosnan’s arrival with the utmost discretion.
In real life, the actor who portrayed the “secret agent” is a true gentleman and possesses an authentic Irish heart, as Chiara, Mamma Agata’s daughter and director of the cooking school, defined him. In fact, he brought a wonderful bouquet of flowers with him as a gift, and then he drew a picture of the lemon terrace (which will be included in the Mamma Agata’s cookbook, “Simple and Genuine”) in order to thank everyone for the fantastic day, and expressing his appreciation for the warm welcome and genuinely delicious cuisine prepared by Mamma Agata by leaving a simple comment: “My favorite new day”.
www.mammaagata.com
Mariarosaria Pisacane