Due to the nature of my work in the old country, I’ve had to work with quite a few famous people (please don’t see it as bragging – it was my job!). When the Perestroika opened the borders, they started trickling here one by one to perform. I have many stories of their first encounters with America, but I think the funniest was the visit of the late great MIchail Zhvanetsky, the foremost Russian satirist, who always requested my borscht when he came to Miami. Having enjoyed the borscht, this time he wanted to be taken to one of the restaurants “with Spanish music” on South Beach. We went to Il Paparazzi, famous for its Northern Italian cuisine, and I translated the menu. He wanted Veal Parmigiano. As soon as the wines were discussed and his choice presented, he requested that it be warmed up. That was a shock which the sommelier managed to bear with a smile because I explained that our guest had a slight throat coarseness after his show and needed warm red wine.
Then the food came. He demanded soy sauce – in a posh Italian restaurant. The Chef ran out of the kitchen, brandishing a ladle dripping with tomato sauce, screaming, “I am Chef Vittorio! There is no soy sauce in my restaurant!” By the time we calmed him down and explained that our guest was a Russian celebrity, who might be allowed his quirks, the veal was stone cold. Chef Vittorio, understanding the importance of international relations, sent someone to the nearby Japanese restaurant for soy sauce and prepared a brand new plate of Veal Parmigiano, delivered by the Chef himself with a flourish.