We all love pasta, but Danny Freeman takes his passion for penne and pappardelle to another level. It’s even in his TikTok and Instagram handle, @dannylovespasta.
The lawyer-turned-chef and cookbook author has amassed 1.4 million followers on TikTok, and his first cookbook, Danny Loves Pasta, came out this week. We chatted with Danny about his lifelong love of pasta, his work amplifying LGBTQ+ voices and stories, and his favorite pasta shapes.
Spoon University: For many people, pasta is associated with love — meals we love, made by/for/with people we love, as an act of love. How has pasta been associated with love in your life?
Danny Freeman: Pasta has been my favorite food for as long as I can remember, and growing up in an Italian-American family we ate it a lot. My mother, father, grandmother, and other relatives all made pasta regularly, and so pasta has such a strong connection to my childhood for me. In particular, I associate pasta with my grandmother, who was an amazing cook and who loved to show her love for us through food. I remember many Christmases when she would cook a giant spread for the whole family and then, right before it was time to eat, she would pull out a special bowl of my favorite pasta she had made just for me. It always made me feel special, and I still feel her love in all the cooking I do.
SU: Do you have a favorite pasta-related memory?
DF: When I was a kid there were a few occasions when my parents brought out my great-grandmother’s pasta maker and we invited my friends over to make a giant batch of fresh pasta. We’d lay each strand of spaghetti on the backs of the chairs and it would eventually take over the whole kitchen. I now know that pasta making can be a lot less messy and involved, but we had fun!
SU: You often amplify LGBTQ+ voices and stories through your platform and your pasta. Tell us about that.
DF: Last year, I did a series during Pride month where I invited different people to do voice overs sharing their Pride stories, and then I made pasta inspired by whichever Pride flag they chose for the videos. It was amazing to bring so many different stories onto my platform, and I try to incorporate pride content throughout the year as well. I know pasta might be an unusual medium to represent pride and queerness, but I really think of my account as being about more than just food. My cooking is not stuffy or overly serious; it’s about finding joy in food, celebrating with your friends and family, and being proud of who you are.
SU: Many of your pasta creations are incredibly complex and beautiful, like succulent ravioli and pasta origami cranes. And you also have many dishes (especially with your cookbook) that are more approachable to the typical cook. How do you balance more artful and creative pastas with simpler everyday dishes?
DF: I try to balance my social media account between education and entertainment. In my videos, and in my cookbook, I teach people how to make fresh pasta, even if they have no experience, and give an introduction to lots of beginner shapes they can try. But I also make more artistic pasta that I’m not really expecting everyone to replicate. A lot of people seem to enjoy watching the process of making more complicated shapes, so some of the pastas I make are really just for fun. When it comes to sauces, I tend to make things that taste great but are not too complicated. I have a toddler, and especially after making fresh pasta I'm usually looking for a sauce that comes together quickly!
SU: Your pasta dishes are so creative, beautiful, and often just plain fun. What inspires you when making new pasta creations?
DF: Inspiration truly comes from anywhere! I may see a flower or a plant and wonder how I can incorporate that look into pasta. Or I'll see a nice pattern on someone's shirt and try to recreate it. I get a lot of inspiration from other chefs, pasta makers, jewelry designers, artists, and fashion designers, and I also get a lot of ideas from my followers who make requests!
SU: Do you have a favorite pasta dish you've created?
DF: I love making Mini Lasagna, which is in my cookbook. I started making it about 15 years ago after my husband and I began dating. We would occasionally make a full lasagna together but it was a lot of work in a tiny NYC apartment, and we liked to include very different things! He’s a vegetarian and I’m not, and we would want different cheeses, sauces, and veggies. So our compromise was to make individual lasagnas in ramekin, and the idea has stuck since then. Now that we have a toddler it’s a fun way to include her in the cooking and let her pick out her own ingredients.
SU: Do you have a favorite pasta shape?
DF: My favorite shape to eat is penne — I love how the ridges and the tubular shape are perfect for scooping up sauce! My favorite shape to make by hand is farfalle, or what a lot of people think of as bow tie pasta. It’s fun and simple and they always turn out super cute!