Dan Pelosi’s Essentials: Refort Meals, Dream Dinner Guest and Coffee

Dan “Grossy” Pelosi is hardly your typical culinary star. He does not manage a Michelin star dining room, and he does not try. Instead, the affable and designated Tastemaker has cut a space that is clean to it – one that begins (and ends) around its New York kitchen table in the north of the state. Better known to his legion of fans simply as “Grossy” – a nickname inspired by the endearing character of Drew Barrymore in Never been kissed This perfectly captures his own approach to life and cuisine – Pelosi first won online hearts with kitchen tutorials in a humor spirit, gatherings of great family style and a refreshing and unpretentious approach to entertainment. If you fear that your meatballs are not as photogenic as hers, he will ask you if you always eat them – then you reassure, that’s all that really matters.

Despite the prosperity of the America company as a creative director for fashion brands, Pelosi always has gravity towards his kitchen, which he calls his “attachment base – where I can be creative, connect with expensive beings and put a personality cachet”. For years, cooking and accommodation have remained a scoring of the weekend, until a unique event – the pandemic – made it in a whole new career. “I realized that it was my time to offer comfort to anyone stuck at home, feeling lost or intimidated by the whole concept of” kitchen “. It turned out that my superpower – which allows my own house a little too much – was suddenly exactly what the others needed, “he said to observe.

Pélosi shamelessly, Pelosi enjoyed being in his own space during the warrants of the home, transforming his personal sanctuary into a collective comfort zone for thousands of followers in search of comfort and community. This feeling of connection has deepened on Instagram, where he did not simply publish photos, but also delivered daily slices of real life. “Instagram stories allow me to be closely and personal; I have posted a million times a day, ”he says. “People told me that it had become their safe space, a bright point in an otherwise difficult period. And as my next ones grew up, I wanted a new chain – somewhere where we could deepen the conversation. The solution was Grossy World, an evolutionary community which he envisages as a hub at a counter for joyful recipes, accommodation advice and the energy “you do you” which defines his work. “Finally, I want to transform it into an interactive platform,” he adds, “because I see how my subscribers want to connect not only with me, but between them.”

This desire to create gathering spaces, both virtual and physical, led Pelosi to buy a house from the 1850s in Hillsdale, New York in July 2023. Although he and his boyfriend Gus divided their time between Upstate and his Brooklyn apartment, the Hudson Valley House arrived in their lives with a suspicion of serendipity. “The previous owner left a ten-foot old farm table that has been anchored like the heart of the house,” he notes. “The Lily de la Vallée in the courtyard-my favorite flower of the late grandmother-and the vintage rainbow glasses on my shelves were small winks of the universe telling me that it would be a place to collect, cook and create.” He brings the same confidence effortlessly to his recipes. “If something has the impression that it is naturally supposed to be, I look into it. I will see fresh basil at the producers’ market, and it becomes pesto in a meatball recipe. It is not forced. It’s just life that guides me to what should happen next.

The renovation of the historic property has revealed more important obstacles – namely an addition of rotten cuisine which was to be demolished. Rather than heating, Pelosi kissed the chance to start again. “I ended up with a blank canvas to create the cuisine of my dreams,” he says. “My kitchen style concerns comfort, color and heritage, so it was important to reflect this in design. I wanted shelves open for my massive collection of bowls, trays and service – because the plating is part of the pleasure. I am not shy for a daring shade or a well -placed vintage discovery; It is a real reflection of the way I live. This approach without excuse extends to family inheritances, including a comfortable angle seat inherited from his grandfather. “This chair was sitting in my grandparents’ house for decades-my 102 year old” Bimpy “grandfather is essentially the star of all my online presence,” said Pelosi laughing. “I had it reimbursed so it’s a new life, but it always has its mind. You can imagine telling a joke there, because Bimpy never met a story that he did not want to share. »»

The family has always been at the heart of the history of Pelosi, dating from childhood dinners shared with a rotary casting of aunts, uncles and cousins. “I had the chance to grow in a house where dinner was family time, every night,” he said. “On weekends, we met with extended parents. As my uncle Tony would say in Italian, At the table you do not age—Nan does not age at the table. When you are together, time stops. I live by this idea. “”

This may be why her most expensive family recipe comes from her mother’s playful approach (and work) in the kitchen – a carrot cake with baby food in carrots. “(That) seems a little strange until you taste it,” he admits. “It brings crazy humidity and flavor. My mother would whisk this cake and it was cool in the refrigerator for days. Total hack of busy mom.

His first kitchen book, Let’s Eat: 101 recipes to fill your heart and your house, soaring on The New York Times List of bestsellers, a testimony of Pelosi’s gift for accessible and sincere meals. “It is essentially a warm hug of home cooking, sharing both comfort and connection with my closest and most expensive Italian-American recipes,” he said. While Pelosi suggests that there is more in the pipeline – he is not yet ready to disclose – his culinary influence continues to develop thanks to his regular contributions to the recipe to The New York Times Cuisine section, where he has delighted readers since 2023 with tubes like his viral pesto meat meat.

This growing platform has only strengthened Pelosi’s commitment to make cooking accessible to everyone. “Calling people rather than calling them is at the heart of what I do,” he said. “I want my subscribers to feel safe, authorized and ready to cook – no matter who they are or what their kitchen looks like. Eat, enjoy, share, repeat.” It is a philosophy that attracted countless fans with the edifying and without judgment of Pelosi. As his community grows, he promises to continue to explain humor and imperfection to an equal measure, ensuring that everyone feels welcome at his table. After all, as he sees, a homemade meal should not be perfect. He just has to be shared.

Pelosi considers food as a vehicle for narration: “My design roots are in the narration of the brand – explaining how to translate a vision by color, texture and tone,” he said. “This is essentially what I do with my recipes and entertaining. Each dish has a palette of colors, an atmosphere and a story. Even when I do not make sauce on the sauce on the pasta, I am aware of what I want people to feel when they see this photo or read this recipe.

Inspired by the tradition of Pelosi to “show people how he really lives”, observing asked him to share some of his current essential elements – from the weekly preparation perfect for the newly struck color, the crushing of the crushing of his house.