What It Was Like To Cook For Frank Sinatra: A Chef Tells All - Exclusive - Tasting Table

"Theo Schoenegger emphasized one point about Frank Sinatra's preferences over and over. "He was a simple eater," the chef said, adding that the singer enjoyed simple dishes like pasta with tomato sauce, spaghetti with clams, and veal Milanese. Another favorite food of Sinatra's, interestingly enough, was cold cuts. "He always had to have cold cuts to start with," explained Schoenegger, noting that Prosciutto di Parma was among his favorites. Even Sinatra's technical rider was ridden with simple fare, like cans of Campbell's soup."

"Who better to give us the scoop on Sinatra's culinary proclivities than a chef who frequently prepared his fare? We caught up with Theo Schoenegger, executive chef at Sinatra (which is housed inside Las Vegas' Wynn resort), to get an insider's perspective on the celeb's dining habits. Ultimately, we were somewhat surprised at what we discovered, and we ended up falling more in love with Sinatra as a result."

Frank Sinatra favored straightforward, traditional foods rather than elaborate, haute cuisine. He regularly chose simple Italian dishes such as pasta with tomato sauce, spaghetti with clams, veal Milanese, osso buco, and scampi. Cold cuts, notably Prosciutto di Parma, were habitual starters for his meals. Sinatra often requested the same familiar dishes repeatedly once he knew a kitchen. His technical rider sometimes included commonplace items like cans of Campbell's soup. Theo Schoenegger, executive chef at Sinatra inside the Wynn resort in Las Vegas, frequently prepared these meals and observed Sinatra's consistent preferences.

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