Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish have confirmed rumours that they sent their cook to Italy to learn to make risotto.
The 77-year-old “Tiny Dancer” singer was forced to make lifestyle changes after a number of health scares including a severe eye infection, and the removal of his prostate, appendix, and tonsils.
He admitted that he was no longer able to eat any sugary treats, despite his sweet tooth.
In a discussion about his passion for food alongside his husband for Ruthie’s Table podcast, he shared the lengths the couple had gone to to satisfy their cravings.
When asked about talk that the couple had sent their cook abroad to learn the Italian dish, Furnish responded, “That’s true actually, yes we did.”
He explained that the pair had been inspired by an extravagant dinner at the house of Gianni Versace.
“Well, that was in the Nineties when Gianni Versace was a big part of our life,” Furnish explained. “We went to Gianni’s house in Milan, in a beautiful apartment.
”The meals were theatre is the only way I can describe it because he had the white coated butlers with the white gloves [and] white jackets.
“You sat down and there was a beautiful piece of antique porcelain and then whoosh, it was cleared away and then a plate went down with a starter, and then whoosh it was cleared away and another antique porcelain plate went down to be cleared away for the main.”
But the risotto at the opulent dinner remained with the couple.
“And the risotto at Gianni’s, that was...” began Furnish.
“It was like nectar,” interjected Sir Elton. “It was just so luscious. Also as David said the presentation went a long way with it, because he got me into collecting china, porcelain and table cloths, it was his fault.”
He added, “Absolutely, yep,” when asked if the cook’s endeavour to learn the risotto was successful.
The musician also revealed the thing he hates above all: “I hate people who are rude to serving staff, and I know a lot of people in my business that are and talk down to them. That’s the one thing I hate the most.”
