TASTE by Stanley Tucci

TASTE by Stanley Tucci is a memoir of food by Hollywood actor and lockdown cocktail aficionado Stanley Tucci. You might know him from The Devil Wears Prada or one of the most underrated films of 2021, Supernova.

TASTE by Stanley Tucci is a memoir of food by Hollywood actor and lockdown cocktail aficionado Stanley Tucci. You might know him from The Devil Wears Prada or one of the most underrated films of 2021, Supernova.

I listened to this as an audiobook, as I felt that it may lend itself well to be performed by the author, and I wasn’t wrong. Tucci talks about his life growing up in Westchester, New York, his early career in New York City, his marriage to his first wife Kate, who subsequently died from breast cancer in 2009, and his second marriage to Felicity Blunt (sister of Emily, also from The Devil Wears Prada).

His stories are told against the background of his love of food - both to cook and to eat. Included in the book are many recipes, both from his family and his famous chef friends, as well as for cocktails to which he is partial. I remember his videos during lockdowns, making cocktails and teaching viewers how they are properly made. I am certain that during that period, he made many new fans.

Ask anyone who knows me: they will tell you I am NOT a foodie. However, this book made me mouth-wateringly hungry on several occasions, even for foods which I know I actually wouldn’t or cannot eat. My husband listened to the final 45 minutes in the car with me and he said when it was done that he was raveous just listening…so you’ve been warned. Do not listen to this on an empty stomach!

Does Tucci talk about his career as an actor? Yes, but I don’t think so much that it bothered me and I detected in his narration that he knew he was name dropping and knew that he knew. Tucci comes out seemingly normal, for someone who has enjoyed a 40 year career in show business. As well, he seems thoroughly nice…not one to suffer fools, but that’s fine by me as I weary of those quickly too. He seems like an interesting, nice person. He obviously enjoys the finer things in life, but I don’t think that’s the same as being arrogant or fancy. Instead, I think Tucci enjoys fine living done simply - he understands that sometimes the simplest things are what makes something special.

What I didn’t know until I listened to this book (well, I actually didn’t know his first wife had died and that was heartbreaking to listen to) was that Tucci himself has survived cancer - oral cancer which had threatened his career and his ability to eat. This included, for a time, having a feeding tube into his stomach. It was compelling listening, if only for the lack of self pity Tucci had, save for the loss of food. It was at that time that he understood that, for him, food was more than body fuel - it was what brought people together. i suspect he’d always known that, but such a challenge brought it into the forefront. As cancer sometimes does, it clarified for him what was important - and as so many of us know, the best things in life are not things, but people. The things that bring us together as people and communities are so special, and Tucci understands this.

I loved listening to Taste and enjoyed Tucci’s reading of his memoir. You don’t have to be a foodie to enjoy the book - there’s much in this to entertain anyone.