The Italian chef collaborated with Stanley Tucci to cater for King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as the Beckhams, Helen Mirren and other famous celebrities
07:00, 10 Dec 2025Updated 07:47, 10 Dec 2025
King Charles’ mind-blowing conversation with chef has been revealed(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
A chef who was hired by King Charles for a huge royal event says he was “blown away” by one conversation with the monarch.
Francesco Mazzei worked alongside beloved actor Stanley Tucci to create the menu for an exclusive black-tie banquet, held at the King’s private residence at Highgrove. Guests included the Beckhams, Dame Helen Mirren, and Donatella Versace.
In a new interview, Francesco revealed the conversation with Charles which left him amazed. Speaking to ITV’s Talking Royals podcast, the chef said he “was blown away” by the King’s “huge knowledge” about the food on offer.
The chef was full of praise for the King, who knew “everything” about the food, saying: “He knew about the aging of Culatello, he knew about the aging of parmigiano reggiano.”
Culatello is a prized Italian cured meat, the so-called “King of Hams,” which is specially produced in Parma. Parmigiano reggiano is a similar speciality food, a hard cheese originating in the Emilia-Romagna region.
The star-studded banquet was attended by the likes of David and Victoria Beckham(Image: Getty)
Francesco continued: “I had a chance to talk to him for more than 20 minutes. I was blown away by the knowledge of the King about cooking in general.”
Speculating that the King’s knowledge might not be restricted to food, Francesco added that he’s sure the King “knows the same about architecture, about art”. The King is certainly no stranger to voicing his opinions on Britain’s architectural landscape.
Charles and Camilla requested an “Italian-English mashup” for the menu, specifically asking for the Italian dishes to be cooked with 100% British produce.
Preparation took over a year, as Francesco scoured the British Isles in search of ingredients fit for the King. In the end, he sourced Scottish crab, tomatoes from the Isle of Wight, and Welsh garlic.
Other ingredients came from a bit closer to home. The herbs used in Francesco’s herb ravioli were sourced from the King’s very own kitchen garden at Highgrove. Despite the February chill, Francesco was impressed with the herbs grown.
“I was blown away,” he told the podcast. “I mean, it looked, it felt, like an Italian garden. All the beautiful, fresh herbs.”
Across the extensive menu Francesco created, only the extra virgin olive oil could not be sourced from the UK. “Maybe it will come one day!” the chef joked.
Chef Francesco cooks at London’s Sartoria restaurant(Image: Supplied )
Having previously worked at Mayfair’s Dorchester Hotel, the Calabrian chef is clearly upbeat about Britain’s culinary possibilities. He praised its “beautiful produce” and proclaimed that “You can basically do every cuisine in the UK if you know where the produce comes from”.
The private meal was almost in jeopardy. The palace first contacted Francesco over two years ago, but the King’s shock cancer diagnosis threatened the event. A year later, the Palace reached out once more to push ahead with the banquet.
This was, according to Francesco, because of the King’s appreciation for “the slow food movement”. Charles has long been famous for prioritising seasonal, organic, and locally sourced produce.
Francesco’s revelations come amid a flurry of royal feasting. Earlier in December, the King and Queen welcomed German president Frank-Walter Steinmeyer and First Lady Elke Budenbender for a State Visit. This marked the third inward state visit of the year.