When acclaimed designer Collette Dinnigan decided to step back from her fashion career, she redirected her passion into interior design and homewares. For this, she draws inspiration from her second home, Casa Olivetta in Puglia, where she retreats two to three times a year to embrace the Italian way of life.
Mimi Thorisson and Collette Dinnigan in Turin, Italy.Credit: Earl Carter
In 2019, she struck up a friendship with French cook and author Mimi Thorisson when she signed up for one of Thorisson’s tours of northern Italy. It’s a friendship that continues to build, and one that sees the two powerhouses come together best at the kitchen table, bonding over plates of pasta, rich passata and refreshing negronis. Now Thorisson has contributed recipes to Dinnigan’s latest book, Bellissima.
Collette, tell us about meeting Mimi for the first time.
I’d heard that Mimi had moved to northern Italy from France and was hosting vineyard visits in Turin and peony farm stops as well as cooking classes. It felt right up my alley, so I signed up and brought my daughter, Estella, along. Mimi and I hit it off and laughed so much; we ended up spending five days together. She got me right away, and we became friends instantly.
How does Mimi inspire you?
Everything Mimi does in the kitchen looks easy and breezy. It takes me back to when I used to do Paris Fashion Week: it’s so complicated, but I’d try to make it look effortless. Mimi’s incredibly organised, measured and diligent when putting her recipes together. She’s a little aloof, and it comes across as nonchalance, but that’s the beauty in her delivery. It makes people feel at ease and very welcome. It’s like a spiritual thing; not religious, but a gentle pursuit of inclusion, as opposed to a superiority that puts people at a different level.
What do you have in common when cooking?
We love seasonal produce, and in Italy this is the only way to live. She’s perhaps more disciplined when it comes to cooking, as her life revolves around it; for me, food is part of my life, not my life. She taught me how to make borage ravioli and I shared my classic roast chicken dishes. It’s appreciation for each other’s recipes that connects us.
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What does having a home in Italy say about you?
Italy is where I mix old-world with a modern twist. I am all about going into my garden and sourcing what’s nearby – it’s where I make passata and harvest olives to make olive oil. I visit Italy up to three times a year and feel so at home in our old farmhouse. The table is outside, the music is always playing, and we spend our time basking in the very different light at Casa Olivetta. I feel very relaxed and at ease there.
What happens when you and Mimi get together at an Italian dinner table?
When you’re with great company, you glow from the inside. Mimi, her husband Oddur, and Bradley [Cocks, Dinnigan’s husband] are charmers and bring people together with ease. We’re all very private but at the dinner table the conversation is comfortable. It’s where we share a wine, drink coffee and relax. Our tables are always very emotional, filled with laughter and lots of stories. There’s no shortage of opinions either!
Would you like to collaborate further with Mimi?
I’d love us to do a home table setting. I couldn’t think of a better collaborator – I’ll have to ask her. I have a new line of hand-made Italian ceramics that includes plates, platters and salad bowls, and I’ve also created a limited-edition candle for the release of my new book.