Cinema & Cibo: The Culinary Muses of Chef Jordan Frosolone

In our ongoing series, Cinema & Cibo, we talk with the Chicago born and raised chef, Jordan Frosolone.

One of New York’s most sought after chefs, Frosolone's range of culinary talent is limitless. He can satisfy the most carnivorous of palates one minute and make a mind-blowing vegan truffle risotto the next.

He's been a member of New York's Gruppo Italiano since 2017 and is currently the executive chef/partner at The Leopard located inside the Upper West Side’s legendary Hotel des Artistes. He was recently recognized for one of his signature dishes there, an eggplant timballo.

Visiting Frosolone's website will give you the opportunity to step inside his world through photographs of antique pasta-making instruments and captured moments of his culinary adventures through Italy. There is also a section featuring detailed gourmet recipes.

Having enjoyed that decadent vegan truffle risotto at an event in New York last year to mark the launch of the Veneto Film Commission, I became curious about his background and inspirations. So I asked him a few questions about where it all started.

How and when did you discover your passion for food?

My passion for food starting at a very young age…at the dinner table with my family.

Can you tell me something about your time studying and working in Italy at the beginning of your career?

Living in Italy changed my worldview. The initial time spent living there opened my eyes to the everyday lives of the people of Italy, it was an amazing first step on a journey that continues to this day.

How do your culinary creations reflect your Italian origins?

I am always looking to Italian traditions and culture when trying to find new dishes to interpret, in an authentic way, that are respectful to my Italian origins.

Tell me about your infamous timballo.

The timballo is inspired from a baked pasta I had in Sicily and also the film the "Big Night." Over the past 5 years or so, I have been working to prefect the dish. We are getting pretty close.

Speaking of film, do you have a favorite?

I cannot say I have a favorite movie; there are so many films that have meant so much to me at different points over the years. I will say that my favorite movie that I have seen over the past months is the 1962 film "Il Sorpasso."

If you’re in New York, experience Jordan Frosolone's creations first hand at The Leopard, which is providing delivery and takeout during the coronavirus closures, or explore his talents online at www.jordanfrosolone.com.

Comments

The Timeless Talent of Stefania Sandrelli

On screen since the tender age of 14, she has captivated audiences for more than 50 years with a compelling combination of strength and vulnerability. She achieved stardom at just 14 years old playing the angelic cousin of a love-struck Marcello Mastroianni in Pietro Germi’s “Divorce Italian Style.” More than half a century later, she is still going strong and remains one of Italy’s most esteemed actors. Stefania Sandrelli was born on June 5, 1946, in Viareggio in the province of Lucca in northern Italy. As a child, she studied music and dance. Then in 1960, she won a beauty pageant and was featured on the cover of Le Ore magazine. Her purity captivated the country and shortly thereafter, movie offers began pouring in. Just one year later, she made her cinema debut in three feature films: Mario Sequi’s Gioventù di notte , Luciano Salce’s The Fascist, and Pietro Germi’s Divorce Italian Style . She instantly became a star and before long was a key figure in Italy’s legend...

'Salvatore Giuliano' blends documentary realism with dramatic storytelling

"Salvatore Giuliano" is a 1962 Italian crime drama directed by Francesco Rosi that dramatizes the real-life events surrounding the life and death of the legendary Sicilian bandit and folk hero. Giuliano rose to notoriety after the liberation of Sicily from fascist control in 1943, when he formed a gang that joined a separatist army. When the army dissolved, he and his gang intensified their outlaw activities. One of their most significant crimes was the Portella della Ginestra incident, during which dozens of men, women, and children were killed or wounded. This act prompted the authorities to launch an all-out war against Giuliano. His defenses slowly crumbled, and on July 5, 1959, his body was discovered in the courtyard of a house in Castelvetrano. That moment serves as the starting point for Rosi's film. Giuliano's fame is tied to his involvement in the Sicilian independence movement and his battles against both the Italian government and the Mafia in the 1940s a...

"Roma 11:00" – The Tragic True Story of Desperation in a World of Poverty

There couldn’t have been a more perfect couple than Lucia Bosè and Raf Vallone in Giuseppe De Santis’ 1952 “Roma 11:00.” A tragic story based on true events, the film follows several young women in post-WWII Rome as they answer a job listing for a typist. When 200 women are in line on one staircase over several floors, a crack leads to the collapse of the entire staircase. Dozens were injured and one was killed. The tragedy spoke to the poverty and desperation that existed for so many Italians in the early 1950s before the ‘58 industrial boom began. Cesare Zavattini was one of the screenwriters. Elio Petri was the assistant director who interviewed many of the victims and cast a few in supporting roles. In addition to Bosè and Vallone, the film stars Carla Del Poggio, Massimo Girotti, Maria Grazia Francia, Lea Padovani and Delia Scala. The film is set in Largo Circense 37, while in reality the collapse took place in via Savoia 31, in the Salario district, on J...

Gianfranco Rosi to premiere 'Sotto le nuvole' at Venice Film Fest, exploring Naples' history

Documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi will premiere his much-anticipated latest film at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival , which runs August 27 - Sept. 6. "Sotto le nuvole" (Below the Clouds) takes a deep dive into the rich history and culture of Naples and the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. There has not been much information revealed but so far, we know that the film will focus on themes similar to those explored by Rosi in his previous works, such as the examination of Roman culture in "Sacro GRA" (2013) and Lampedusa's refugee crisis in "Fuocoammare" (2016). The film's synopsis reads, “The land around Vesuvius is a vast palimpsest. On the surface, underground and even beneath the sea of the modern city of Naples and its surroundings, the memory of history is etched into tunnels, walls and fissures, the remains of women, children and men — statues, buried cities. Only thin layers separate contemporary and ancient life, an...

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog