Rarely do opportunities arise for a laid-back Zoom chat with one of your admired figures. Fortunately, the universe smiled upon me, allowing me to engage in a conversation with the one and only Stanley Tucci.

Tucci has recently partnered with San Pellegrino for a new holiday recipe kit, "Stelline Two Ways," featuring two of his family recipes using the star-shaped pasta, stelline: Brodo di Gallina con Polpettine di Pollo and Pastina Classica.  

During our discussion, we delved into his ongoing collaboration with San Pellegrino, explored his fondness for stelline, and tossed a few rapid-fire this-or-that questions his way, even if it may have been way too early in the morning to launch his way.

Foodbeast: I will try to stay cool, calm, and collected, but if my mother asks, I can officially tell her I had coffee with Stanley Tucci this morning.

Stanley Tucci: You absolutely can! Yes!

So, you're working with San Pellegrino and, obviously, as a man of Italian wonders and heritage, where did this partnership come from?

They came to me a couple years ago and asked me to partner up with them and I said 'yes' because I love San Pellegrino. I've been drinking it for years. It's easy. They said "Do you know this type of pasta is being discontinued?" The stars, of course. And everyone was like, "We love this pasta! No!" And since they're reminiscent of the star on the San Pellegrino bottle, and I grew up eating them, it was a no-brainer.

I feel like we are at a point in society where cooking has become almost like a chore and something you have to do versus something you get to do.

And it shouldn't be. It absolutely shouldn't be a chore.

You have a million recipes in your back pocket. What made you choose these two recipes for the meal kit?

They're what I grew up with, you know? If your parents or the people who raised you were good cooks, you gravitate always to that. It gives you comfort, makes you happy, and if you were raised by terrible cooks, it doesn't happen.

Stop calling me out like that!

Ha! I mean the old joke is, "I thought my mother was a good cook until I went into the army." So these are dishes that I grew up with and at Thanksgiving, my aunt would make this soup (Brodo di Gallina con Polpettine di Pollo) and it was great. It's an old family recipe. It's like a first course, and the pasta with butter and cheese (Pastina Classica) is pure comfort food. They're truly the two dishes you would eat if you were unwell. So, if you had a cold, you had the soup. If you had an upset stomach, you had the pasta.

Whenever I do interviews like this, I love doing rapid fire this-or-that questions. Are you down?

Let's do it.

Would you rather have dry Friday night meatballs or Sunday night leftover meatballs with Mom's ragu?

Oh that's impossible!!

HA! I knew I'd get you with the first one!

Maybe Sunday meatballs, I guess.

Red or white sauce?

Hmm. Red.

Time for an on-brand San Pellegrino question. Flavored or unflavored?

Both. Always both.

Spaghetti or angel hair?

You know, that's actually very interesting. It would depend on the kind of sauce.

Red or white wine?

Both. Of course.

Negroni or Aperol Spritz?

Negroni.

Italian bread or sourdough?

Well, a lot of people don't know this but a lot of Italian bread is sourdough, but it doesn't taste very sour.

Okay, last question: Tuscany or Amalfi Coast?

*Stanley sits back in his chair, mouth agape*

What? You thought this would be a boring, easy interview?

That's awful! That's like choosing between your children. Oh gosh. I'm going to say... maybe... the... Amalfi Coast?

Now, you have your roots in Southern Italy and, not so luckily for America, we really only get small glimpses of "stereotypical" Italian food in the states. Is there anything from Calabria that you'd like to see Americans adopt into their Italian rotation?

Well, you know what Americans don't eat?

Good food?

YES. But mostly it's the fact that the Mediterranean Diet is so varied and you get everything you need sometimes from one single dish. You're not really eating huge amounts of red meat. They'll eat meats like everyone else, but meats that have been eaten for centuries. So things like rabbit, lamb, goat — these are meats that are really, really good for you. Same in England, it's hunting season — you'll see pheasant, partridge. In America, you get beef raised by big companies that sometimes isn't the best for you. That's why I am always interested in lean, high-protein meals.

Just like how you said your mom's cooking was great until you joined the army, same goes for beef in America. Sure, we have amazing beef here — it's imported.

*Stanley laughs robustly at my 8am comedy special*

If you're absolutely enthralled with our delightful banter, feel free to grab your own Stelline Two Ways meal kit from San Pellegrino and Stanley Tucci, and make sure to enjoy your star-shaped pasta with a glass of red or white — Stanley insists.