History Film Forum: Marcella

Cookbook author and teacher Marcella Hazan (1924–2013) is considered one of the foremost authorities on Italian cooking. For millions of Americans, she is the definitive source for Italian cooking wisdom.

Born in a small fishing village in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region and trained as a scientist, Marcella never cooked until she married and, in 1955, moved to America with her husband, Victor. There, she worked to recreate the Italian dishes she and Victor craved from home. Embarking on a career of teaching Italian cooking, she eventually collaborated with Victor to write six landmark cookbooks that have become essential references for home cooks while inspiring generations of professional chefs. Marcella, as uncompromising as she was beloved, introduced Americans to Italian ingredients and traditional techniques. As Craig Claiborne wrote in the New York Times, "No one has ever done more to spread the gospel of pure Italian cookery in America."

The program will include a special early screening of the film followed by a discussion with the film’s director, Peter Miller; Marcella’s husband, Victor; and their son, Giuliano. Guests will have an opportunity to view Marcella’s culinary objects, donated to the museum by her family. A reception with food and drink will precede the film.

Panelists:

Peter Miller, director

Victor Hazan

Giuliano Hazan

Paula Johnson, curator

Moderator:

Ryan Lintelman, curator

Special thanks to:
Pedroncelli Family Winery

Pelligrino

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About Peter Miller:

Peter Miller is an Emmy and Peabody Award–winning director and producer and longtime collaborator with American filmmaker Ken Burns. Miller’s films include Sacco and Vanzetti, AKA Doc Pomus, Jews and Baseball (narrated by Dustin Hoffman), Robert Shaw: Man of Many Voices, the DuPont-Columbia Award–winning Sundance hit Bedlam, and A Class Apart, now being adapted as a feature film. The Los Angeles Beat described Miller’s filmmaking as “one of the preeminent bodies of work in current documentary cinema.” More about his work is at willowpondfilms.com.

About Victor Hazan:

Born in Cesena, Italy, Victor Hazan married Marcella in 1955 and together they created a vibrant culinary life in the United States. Marcella’s early efforts to cook the distinctive flavors from home led her to recast the principles and methods of Italian cooking. When she committed to writing her first cookbook, Victor stepped in to help with expressing her recipes in English. As Marcella’s fame and business grew, Victor devoted himself to helping her by giving structural form to her writings and culinary classes, a role he performed for the rest of Marcella’s life. Victor’s 1982 book, Italian Wine, remains an essential reference work, as is their co-authored volume Ingredienti, published in 2016, three years after Marcella’s death.

About Giuliano Hazan:

Giuliano is the only child of Marcella and Victor Hazan. His passion for Italian flavors and teaching is reflected in his many books, starting with The Classic Pasta Cookbook, nominated for the coveted James Beard Award. He has traveled the world, teaching Italian cooking to appreciative audiences, including passengers aboard luxury cruise ships. In 2007 the International Association of Culinary Professionals named him Cooking Teacher of the Year. Together with his wife, Lael, he runs an acclaimed cooking school in Italy and has been featured on the Food Network and in Gourmet and Food & Wine Magazine. More about Giuliano Hazan’s work is at giulianohazan.com.

About Paula Johnson:

Paula J. Johnson is a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. She conducts research and collects objects relating to the history and culture of American food and wine. Johnson led the team that created FOOD: Transforming the American Table, an exhibition that explores the major changes in food in the United States since the 1950s. Johnson collected a selection of Marcella Hazan’s culinary tools and notebooks from Victor and Giuliano Hazan in 2023 and is the author of Julia Child’s Kitchen: The Design, Tools Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space (2024).

About Ryan Lintelman:

Ryan Lintelman is entertainment curator in the Division of Culture & the Arts at the National Museum of American History. His research interests include American film and television history, comedy, and history of collecting entertainment memorabilia. Lintelman has curated exhibitions on children’s television, Jim Henson and the Muppets, and The Wizard of Oz. He is also one of the curators of the landmark exhibition Entertainment Nation, exploring music, sports, television, theater and film in American history. He is currently writing a book exploring how comedy has shaped the nation’s history.

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The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible. ASL services, captioning, and assistive listening devices will be provided. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email [email protected]. Two weeks’ notice is preferred.

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The History Film Forum is supported by the Robert P. and Arlene R. Kogod Family Foundation.

Technology upgrades in the Warner Bros. Theater were generously made possible by the Dolby family and Dolby Laboratories Inc.

Host or Publisher National Museum of American History