Skye’s dining room at Palazzo Gradenigo.
Photo: Hamish Bowles
Skye is a brilliant self-taught cook, but then again it’s in her blood: Her stylish mother Romilly opened one of the first specialty food emporiums, Hobbs, on 18th century Garrick Street in Soho in London in the 1980s, selling all manners of delectable comestibles. Skye’s late father, the aesthete collector Lord McAlpine (an advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher), apparently arranged the store’s marvelously evocative windows himself, and the establishment, as I recall, was staffed by intimidatingly beautiful ex-public school boys. It was far too expensive for my student budget, but that didn’t stop me wandering in to splash out on some small treat to leaven my diet of Ryvita crackers spread with peanut butter and marmite (still my go-to “can’t be bothered” dish) and to admire both the candied fruit and the eye candy. It was like walking onto the set of Another Country.
At the time of our lunch, Skye had recently published a marvelous book—A Table In Venice: Recipes from my Home—which showcases the richness of the local Venetian cuisine and is illustrated with her own photographs. The proofs of an equally delectable-looking second book were spread all over her bedroom—including the doors of the doughty 19th century wardrobes—so I knew we would be in for a treat. We feasted on Skye’s tricolore salad with the sweetest tomatoes and amazing fresh mozzarella, artichokes, and seabass with baby asparagus, all whipped up effortlessly by our delightful (and heavily pregnant) hostess. There was an Eton mess for pudding scattered with fresh wild strawberries and a limoncello semifreddo, and as the breeze from the canal wafted the curtains and beams of light ignited the Doge’s robes and aquiline features, I counted my blessings.
Dining and Cooking