BY CESARE ZUCCA

New York. The “Queen of Rock” is transformed into “Pasta Queen” to conquer “the King of Pop Art”. Loredana Bertè and Andy Warhol, a “bomb” couple in the magical world of the Factory and Fiorucci.

Hi Loredana, the book “Caro Elio” dedicated to the great Fiorucci has just come out. You are there in many photos …
Basically I was the testimonial of Fiorucci’s store openings all over the world: Milan, where I often went with my sister Mimi, London, Los Angeles, New York where I lived for more than 1 year …
A moment you like to remember?
So many indescribable moments … maybe the press conference for the presentation of my first album. It took place in Milan, right in the Fiorucci offices in the Galleria Passerella. Elio had plastered the windows with my posters and gave everyone an amazing beach bag with a t-shirt and my album inside … I will never forget fans, journalists and record companies who were fighting for one

What was Elio Fiorucci like?
A unique, special, generous person … he filled my wardrobes with his things, I couldn’t wait to be able to wear them on some TV show or in my videos. I remember we were in London and Elio is divided to return after a couple of hours with a surprise. He went to Carnaby Street and brought me a dress made of handkerchiefs … a true work of art, Yes, he really loved me.
Speaking of Fiorucci New York, is it true that you met Andy Warhol there?
Of course, right in the Fiorucci Store on 59th Street. There I spent practically every afternoon there … it was an enchanted world, frequented by crazy VIPs: Grace Jones, Mick Jagger, Brooke Shield, Truman Capote, Jackie Onassis, Keith Haring … There was a wonderful coffee machine disguised as a organ and nobody knew how to use it … so I started it myself, I learned quickly and I was making fantastic cappuccinos, so much so that everyone mistook me for a “rock bartender”. One day Andy Warhol arrived and my dear friend Leonardo Pastore introduced us: “Andy, you absolutely must know Loredana, she is a great Italian rock star and a very good cook, she makes sensational pastas ,,,,”

How did Warhol react?
Well, I must say that the fact of the rock star didn’t give a damn much … but he pricked up his ears when I heard about the pasta … “Tonight I have to make a contract with some Italian clients. Loredana, it would be great to let him find a real pasta ‘Made in Italy .’…”
In short, it was an invitation to the Factory! And do you think I was saying no ???
I immediately ran to the fantastic Bloomingdale’s shop and took them with everything and more, including the colander … and thank goodness, because then I realized that at the Factory no one knew about the colander’s existence, including Andy who took douzen of Polaroid of it…
How did your debut as a chef go?
A hit! … Andy nicknamed me “The Pasta Queen” and I’ve been back to the Factory many times. I spent a lot of afternoons there, I had my favorite corner sitting on a maxi version of the Campbell Tomato Soup can, but an original, not a copy …. I swear to you, it didn’t seem real … Meanwhile my fame as a chef it had spread and I liked to surprise the friends of the Factory by cooking delicious dishes. One of my top recipes was beer chicken with baked potatoes, very simple, but everyone was crazy about it …

Then my friends started calling me, from Elsa Martinelli to Tito and Leonardo Pastore, to Dan Munroe, the director of the video clip for my song “Movie”. One of my top recipes was beer chicken with baked potatoes, very simple, but everyone was crazy about it … We had dinner and then we got glamorous to go to Studio 54.

A nice experience? Yes! Playing the role of “Queen of Pasta” was an unforgettable experience, in addition to eschange the courtesy, Andy wanted to collaborate in the creation of the video clip for my song “Movie” with images of New York that he took at night and Christopher Makos, great photographer of the Factory, made the cover photo of my Made in Italy album, a beautiful black and white close-up.

Dear “Pasta Queen”, would you like to return to the throne and give us the recipe for one of your ‘seductive’ dishes …
(laughs) Of course: it’s a very simple and fragrant dish: spaghetti with tuna and fresh cherry tomatoes …

SPAGHETTI BERTÈ WITH TUNA AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Ingredients
360 g of spaghetti
160 g of tuna in oil
20 cherry tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
Origan, Parsley

Preparation
Peel the garlic and fry it in a pan with oil. Add a generous pinch of dried oregano. Add the tuna and mash it with a fork to crumble it. After 5 minutes, remove the garlic from the pan, season with salt and add the cherry tomatoes that you have cut in half. Arrange them all in the pan with the cut side facing down. Put the lid on and let it go for about 15 minutes. Attention: the oil must not fry, but only transmit heat and let the cherry tomatoes dry. Add a generous spoonful of chopped parsley and a small piece of chilli. Cook for 5 minutes, over low heat and with the lid on, stirring several times. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water, drain when al dente and mix with the sauce. Sauté them for a few moments over high heat and then let them rest for a minute before serving.