Don Pasta

Music is to cooking like coffee is to a Monday morning; it injects a high level of energy and boosts creativity. So, when this Italian bearded man had the idea of pairing cooking and playing music at the same time (I know, wow!), a new artform was born. Don Pasta creates homemade pasta dishes while DJing live sets! During his stage performances, customers/listeners are likely to hear Curtis Mayfield, John Coltrane, even The Clash and Dean Martin. Really now, how many times have you seen onstage Technics 1200 turntables, headphones, and… fryers and knives?

Daniele De Michele, who goes by the nom d’art Don Pasta, is a modern day food and music explorer. He’s also expert author of three books about Italy’s peasant traditions. He collaborates with TV and radio shows and co-directs the Soul Food Festival in Rome and L’Academie des Cuisines Metisses in Toulouse, where he resides. His project, Artusi Remix, is devoted to keeping Italian folk cuisine alive.

If you think about it without music, sounds consistently come from all corners of the kitchen: Knives rocking forth and back on cutting boards, pots shifting on the stove and plates clanking down from cupboards. But with the right music, good meals become great and great dinners become epic. Don knows better!