DonPasta

Every song is a dish, every recipe a story, every listen a journey through Mediterranean aromas, flavours and memories. On Saturday 16 May (9.00 pm | menu €35 | bookings 3343429268), on the terraces of Nuvole, the bistro and cocktail bar at Castello Volante in Corigliano d’Otranto, Daniele “donpasta” De Michele will be celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Food Sound System, the project that has blended cooking, sound, storytelling and popular culture, transforming the kitchen into a veritable jam session. First published in 2006 and reissued in 2023 by Kurumuny, Food Sound System is a book to be read like a novel, used like a recipe book, and listened to like an album. The formula is simple: each song corresponds to a dish, in a journey that brings together The Clash and octopus in a pignata, The Smiths and orecchiette with turnips, the Mediterranean, Salento, Provence and Africa. In collaboration with Nuvole’s kitchen, which will be preparing Grandma Chiarina’s dishes for the occasion, donpasta will present the event, read some excerpts and ‘spin’ the songs associated with the recipes.  Food Sound System is a DJ’s jam session that blends cuisine and music into a fusion of aromas, sounds and flavours. Each recipe evokes a world of places of origin, carefully selected ingredients, time-honoured traditions, wines, music and personal memories. The author weaves together stories of dishes, characters, great jazz musicians, winemakers, home cooking and real or imagined journeys, creating a guide to unconventional dinners dedicated to those who love taking the time to cook, listen, share and savour.

Active as a DJ in the 1990s under the name Faugnu, Daniele De Michele is a chef, storyteller, director, writer, performer and militant ‘gastrophilosopher’. A graduate in Economics and Business from Sapienza University of Rome, with a research master’s degree from the École Nationale de Formation Agronomique in Toulouse, he has spent years working in agriculture, food and wine, and sustainable development, collaborating with public and private organisations. In 2005, he launched the ‘donpasta’ project, weaving together music, art, storytelling and gastronomy. In 2006, he published *Food Sound System* with Kowalski/Feltrinelli and took the show of the same name on tour around the world, combining traditional Italian cuisine, music and visuals, and involving hundreds of musicians, artists, VJs and DJs. In the following years, he published *Wine Sound System* (Kowalski/Feltrinelli, 2009), *La Parmigiana e la Rivoluzione* (Stampa Alternativa, 2013), *Artusi Remix* (Mondadori, 2014), *Kitchen Social Club* (Altreconomia, 2016) and *Il pranzo della domenica* (Il Saggiatore, 2024). He has been a regular contributor to *Geo*, the popular Rai3 programme, for many years. As a director, he produced and directed *Natale con Donpasta* for La7 and the series *Se hai un problema aggiungi olio* for Gambero Rosso/Sky. Together with Treccani and *Corriere della Sera*, he created the web series *Nonne d’Italia in cucina*. For Audible/Amazon, he has released the podcast *La Repubblica del Soffritto*, comprising twenty-two episodes dedicated to traditional Italian cuisine. On the radio, he is a frequent guest on *Fahrenheit* on Radio3, *Caterpillar* and *Decanter* on Radio2, and *Capital in the World* on Radio Capital. As a film director, he has directed the documentaries *I Villani*, produced by Rai Cinema and supported by the Ministry of Culture, and *Naviganti*, supported by Fondazione con il Sud, both of which were screened at the Venice International Film Festival, *Géants dans ma cité* – I giganti della periferia for France Télévision (2024) and *I Mastri* (2025).