Serious Eats
Lidia Bastianich Is Cooking for the Pope
An interview in the New York Daily News today with Lidia Bastianich, who's preparing dinner tonight and tomorrow for Pope Benedict XVI as he visits New York City.
Security is tight, she says, at the residence of Archbishop Celestino Migliore, where the dinners will take place. So tight, in fact, that Bastianich can't even reveal the menu, except to say that it will focus on seasonal ingredients. Though the Daily News did mention that one of the dinners (likely tonight's, since the pope doesn't eat red meat on Fridays) will feature red and white wines from Italy and local Atlantic striped bass.
And a bonus for the Secret Service: They'll be tasting all the food before and after it's cooked. Presumably on guard for medieval-style shenanigans.