Dan “Grossy” Pelosi is hardly your typical cooking star. He didn't run a Michelin-starred restaurant, nor did he try to go. Instead, the tastemaker of Aff's design-conscious has carved a space of its own—a space that starts (and ends) around a kitchen table in upstate New York. His fan corps is most famous for being “scratch” – it's one that's been passed by Drew Barrymore Never kissed This perfectly captures his own life and cooking methods – Pelosi first won the online award with humorous cooking tutorials, large family-style gatherings, and refreshing ways to entertain. If you are worried that your meatballs aren't photogenic like he does, he will ask if you still eat them and assure you that it's really important.
Although Pelosi was creative director of fashion brands at Corporate America, Pelosi always attracted his kitchen, which he called “his base—where I can be creative, connect with loved ones, and put a certain personality on everything.” For years, cooking and hosting have been the hustle and bustle of the weekend until a once-in-a-lifetime event (the pandemic) has made him a whole new career. “I realized it was my time, providing comfort to anyone who sat at home, feeling the whole concept of 'cooking' was lost or intimidated. It turned out that my superpower – making my own home too much – was suddenly totally needed by someone else,” he told the Observer.
Pelosi is an undisguised family who, during his mission to live in his home, was delighted to transform his personal shelter into a collective comfort zone for thousands of followers seeking solace and community. This sense of connection deepens on Instagram, where he not only posts photos, but also provides real-life slices every day. “Instagram stories have made me closer and closer and personal; I post a million times a day,” he said. “People told me it was a tough time to be their safe space. As it evolved afterwards, I wanted a new channel – to some extent we could deepen the conversation.” Solutions were serious worlds, and a growing community he envisioned as a one-stop hub for joyful recipes, hosting tips and the energy to define his work “you want”. “Ultimately, I want to build it into an interactive platform because I see that my followers are not only trying to connect with me, but also with each other,” he added.
This desire to create virtual and physical gathering spaces led Pelosi to purchase a 1850s home in Hillsdale, New York in July 2023. Although he and his boyfriend Gus separate their time between upstate and Brooklyn apartments, Hudson Valley House has a high degree of blandness that is their lives. “The former owner left behind a ten-foot antique farm table that secured himself in the heart of the house,” he said. “The lilies of the valley in the yard (my late grandmother's favorite flower), and the old-fashioned rainbow glasses on my shelves barely had the blink of the universe, telling me it would be a place to gather, cook and create.” He brought the recipe the same ease of confidence. “If some feeling naturally means being, I'll tilt. I'll see fresh basil at the farmers' market, which turns into pesto sauce in the meatball recipe. It's not rape. It's just a lifetime, guiding me to what should happen next.”
Renovating the historic property found a bigger obstacle – i.e., a rotten kitchen that had to be demolished. Instead of Balk, Pelosi embraced the opportunity to start over. “I found myself having a blank canvas to create the kitchen I dreamt of,” he said. “My cooking style is about comfort, color and heritage, so it’s important to reflect that in the design. I wanted open shelves to collect a lot of bowls, platters and service software because gilding is part of the fun. I wasn’t shy about bold tones or fine old-fashioned discoveries; it was a real reflection of my life.” This unapologetic approach extends to family heirlooms, including comfortable corner seating inherited from my grandfather. “That chair has sat in my grandparents' house for decades – my 102-year-old grandpa 'bimpy' is basically the star of my entire online presence,” Pelosi laughed. “I reshaped it, so it has a new life, but it still has his spirit. You can imagine him joking there because Bimpy never encountered a story he didn't want to share.”
The family has always been the heart of Pelosi’s story, dating back to childhood dinners sharing with spinning aunties, uncles and cousins. “I’m lucky to be able to grow up in a family time every day for dinner,” he said. “On weekends, we’ll get together with extended relatives. Just like my uncle Tony would say in Italian, Tavolafil SI Invecchia– No one gets older on the table. When you are together, time stops. I live with this idea. ”
Perhaps that's why his most cherished family recipe comes from mom's playful approach in the kitchen (and labor), which is the reason for carrot cakes made with jam carrot baby food. “[It] It sounds strange until you taste it. “He admitted. “It brings crazy moisture and flavor. My mom would throw this cake up and it stays level in the refrigerator for a few days. A busy mother hacker. ”
His first recipe, Let's Eat: 101 recipes to fill your heart and home, soar The New York Times Bestseller list, proves Pelosi’s gift for accessible, heartfelt meals. “It's basically a warm embrace of home cooking, sharing comfort and connection with recipes from my recent and dearest Italian Americans,” he said. While Pelosi suggests there's more in the pipeline (he's not ready to reveal it yet), his culinary influence continues to expand through his regular recipe contributions to The New York Times Cooking Zone, he has been delighting readers with hits like his viral pesto meatballs since 2023.
This ever-evolving platform only reinforces Pelosi’s commitment to cooking that makes it accessible to everyone. “Call people instead of calling them is at the heart of what I do,” he said. “I want my followers to feel safe, competent and ready to cook – whoever they are or what the kitchen looks like. Eat, enjoy, share, repeat.” It’s a philosophy that has attracted countless fans to Pelosi’s exciting, unjudgmented approach. As the community grows, he promises to continue to eliminate humor and imperfection with an equal attitude to ensure everyone is welcomed on the table. After all, as he saw, a family-cooked meal doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to be shared.
Pelosi sees food as a storytelling tool: “My design roots are brand storytelling – knowing how to translate vision through color, texture and tone,” he said. “This is basically how I'm doing recipes and entertainment. Each dish has a palette, an atmosphere and a story. Even if I just smear the pasta, I think of how people want people to feel when they see that photo or read that recipe. It's about the moments of collage, so you can almost taste it and pick up the fork and then pick up the fork.”
Inspired by Pelosi's tradition of “showing people his real life”, Observer asked him to share some of his current necessities – from the perfect weekly meal preparation to the newly cast pink color that brightens his house.
