Jacob Kenedy’s menu, from aperitivo to pudding, is inspired by childhood holidays in a remote fishing village
I spend as much of the summer as possible in Sperlonga, which is to say not all that much. Would that I had my grandmother Ginny’s work ethic. She spent most of her time there, doing little and living larger.
My grandparents moved to Italy in 1952, seeking a rest cure for Ginny’s recurrent tuberculosis. My grandfather John was a writer and gallerist, my grandmother a Broadway and Hollywood starlet and painter. Arriving in Rome they found themselves surrounded by friends old and new. It is incredible to hear my mum recall their names – Ginny died not so long ago – but suffice to say that Fellini’s La Dolce Vita was inspired by Ginny and Grandpa, and specifically a party they threw. They are Steiner and his wife in the film, and Ginny’s paintings adorn the walls of the infamous party scene, her guests Fellini’s extras.
Continue reading...
