Brooklyn Beckham loves Italian cooking.
Barilla America, Inc.
Mention Italy to Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, and his whole voice changes. The way he talks about the country—its kitchens, its flavors, its sense of togetherness—makes you feel like you’re already there. “Italy means so much to me,” he says. “Growing up there, I lived in Milan for a while, and I actually did my first cooking class in Italy. It’s always been a very warm place in my heart.”
I spoke with Beckham through his recent collaboration with Barilla, celebrating Domenica Italiana, the Italian ritual of slowing down on Sundays to cook and gather loved ones.
The Taste That Started It All
Beckham’s earliest food memory is pure Italian nostalgia. “I was probably nine or ten years old,” he recalls. “It was the first time having a cooking class, and especially my first one in Italy; it was kind of amazing. I learned how to make fresh pasta, and I learned tricks I still use today to cook for my friends or my wife.”
That early experience set him on a lifelong path of curiosity about flavor and culture. “My favorite trick is just really taking your time,” he says. “Especially with the spaghetti bolognese; it takes me five hours and the end product is just amazing.”
A Passport for the Palate
Travel has shaped Beckham’s cooking as much as any recipe. “I’ve lived in some pretty cool places like Milan, Madrid, LA, New York, London, Manchester,” he says. “Wherever I go, I always try to find the hole-in-the-wall Italian places. I just miss Italian cuisine.”
Now based in Los Angeles with his wife, Nicola, and their four dogs, he finds joy in recreating that European sense of togetherness. “Me and my wife don’t really like to go out, but we love inviting people over,” he says.
“On a very chill night, I put on some classical music, we hang out with our dogs, and I cook. I probably have 50 boxes of Al Bronzo pasta in my house. I have a whole cupboard that’s literally just for pasta.”
Cooking, for him, is both a creative outlet and a ritual of connection. “It’s something we love to do to just chill and have a good night,” he says. “I make pasta, make the house smell lovely, have a bottle of wine, and kind of try and recreate what I did in Italy for the first time when I did that cooking class.”
He laughs when asked if Nicola [Peltz] ever takes the lead in the kitchen. “No, she can’t cook at all. I’m definitely the cook in our house,” he says. “But she makes the drinks and she sits there just looking gorgeous.”
Wandering for the Best Bite
Beckham’s approach to travel is as relaxed as his Sunday cooking. “When I’m traveling in Italy or wherever I’m traveling, I literally just walk down the road, get a coffee, and ask someone local, ‘What’s your favorite hole-in-the-wall?’” he says. “I don’t want anything too fancy; I just want the best food.”
There’s one destination still calling him back. “I’ve spent one day in the Amalfi Coast and I would love to go back again, but spend like a week there. I’ve heard the food is unbelievable. Honestly, you can go anywhere in Italy and get amazing food, amazing dishes, and the people are amazing.”
Cooking as Connection
For Beckham, food isn’t just about what’s on the plate, it’s about who’s around it. “The amazing thing about food is it really brings people together,” he says. “You don’t have to be a cook to have fun in the kitchen. Messing up is also so much fun. That’s why I love cooking; it brings people together.”
It’s a philosophy that suits both traveler and homebody: the kind that turns a simple meal into an escape. “Honestly,” he says, “you can go anywhere in Italy and get amazing food, amazing dishes, and amazing people. It’s one of the most peaceful places in the world.”
Dining and Cooking