The ultimate foodie, Dom DeLuise, passed away yesterday at age 75.
It was thirty years ago, when I met the kind and generous comic during a school trip to 20th Century Fox Studio. Dom came out to greet us kids, and then he invited us onto the “Fatso” set (directed by Anne Bancroft) for an impromptu tour! The film’s continuity supervisor had an absolute fit, but Dom thought it was hilarious.
I personally find it funny, that 30 years later I’m so obsessed with my food WRITING… almost as much as his character was about food EATING.
He will most definitely be missed.
If you’ve never seen the movie “Fatso”, it’s available on Netflix.
He also penned several cookbooks available on Amazon.
my last bite... 
Thanks for this post, Jo. I’ve carried a bit of a heavy heart today since learning of Dom’s passing. So cool that you got a chance to meet him, especially on the set of arguably his best movie ever.
Now that he’s “up there” my mother is undoubtedly in stitches again. She loved Dom. He epitomized the Italian/American for her. When I was in college, I made it a point to visit my mother every Tuesday for a “movie night.” I would pick up Chinese food, pizza, whatever, stop at the video store, and rent a movie for us to watch after dinner. Once I rented “Fatso” and it became our favorite movie to watch together. We’d see it more than any other. I think we may have seen it 12 times together. And she laughed just as hard every time, as if she was watching it for the first time ever.
Dom loved his food, his wine, and his friends equally as much as he loved his family – and that’s saying something. I have both of his “Eat This, it will make you feel better” cookbooks on my cookbook rack. His Grandmother’s Sunday Gravy is in there, and it’s worth the price of admission, trust me.
Those recipes do truly make you feel better, and I think we all need that now more than ever.
Phil,
That is such a wonderful memory, and you’ve definitely seen “Fatso” more than I have.
I think we should plan a Dom DeLuise Dinner and celebrate his love for food, fun and joy!
X
Jo, how do you meet all these awesome people?
It’s scary right?
Mostly that I actually still had that photo of me and Dom, but it certainly makes me smile.
Total photo freak all my life! : )