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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 3 december 2019
Learn the secrets to a perfect dinner party from Questlove

By MARK KENNEDY the booze is also carefully tounding knowledge of
AP Entertainment Writer staged. "I think now I have music. He admits to be-
NEW YORK (AP) — If you're it down to a science. You ing a little ADD and is ob-
lucky enough to be invited have to start off mellow sessed with making lists. He
to a dinner party hosted by and go to your climax," has dozens of Spotify playl-
Questlove, be aware that said Questlove. "Usually my ists and challenges himself
nothing has been left to parties start at 7 o'clock. By to compile things like 100
chance. 10 o'clock, it's at its height. songs about the color blue
The guest list has been And then when it's filtering or 100 songs in which the
carefully chosen, as have out around 12:30, then usu- title is never sung. His deep
all the dishes. The music ally the 10 of us left go out insight has led him to pro-
starts off with piano-heavy to get pizzas and burgers." duce the AMC show, " Hip
tunes and then builds as If you're one of the strag- Hop: The Songs That Shook
the evening goes on. The glers, there's a good America."
amount and quality of chance you'll be hanging To create the book, Holly
Dolce, the executive edi-
This combination photo shows the cookbook “Mixtape Potluck,” tor at Abrams Books, said
left, and a portrait of musician-author Questlove in New York. Questlove was involved
Associated Press in every aspect: the fonts,
the photography, even the
with a celebrity. Questlove cheese from Q-Tip contains metallic sheen of the cov-
attracts an eclectic fan- no less than five cheeses. er. "He's like a really great
base, from musicians like "In most black households, director. He's interested in
Q-Tip and David Byrne, to if it's less than five cheeses, every part of making the
foodies like Padma Lak- it's not legit," Questlove book," she said. "He goes
shmi and Eric Ripert, to ac- jokes. off and really makes it all
tresses like Gabrielle Union Questlove, born Ahmir happen."
and Zooey Deschanel, and Thompson, said the seed In many ways, although
artists like Tom Sachs and of the book sprouted more Questlove doesn't really
Dustin Yellin. than 20 years ago when cook himself, he assembles
Now the drummer of the The Roots were trying to lure the ingredients for a good
hip-hop group The Roots, musicians to collaborate in party like any good chef —
as well as a DJ, a producer, Philadelphia. The best bribe music, chefs, lighting, drinks
author and radio host is re- turned out to be food, "the and guests. "I'm not into
vealing some of his secrets proverbial pie on the win- randomness and throw the
in his new book, " Mixtape dowsill that drew everyone noodle at the wall and see
Potluck." It includes crowd- in." They even convinced what sticks, because often
pleasing recipes from more their record label to add a that can be a disaster," he
than 50 friends and advice chef to the budget. said.
on how to organize the mu- "For me, music and food In the book, one of the
sic, food and guests. and creatives go hand- strangest-sounding offer-
"For me, the whole goal in-hand. So, some 20 plus ings is for Chocolate Chili
of 'Mixtape Potluck' is to years, later, I just now call from Maya Rudolph, which
serve as a guide to have them food salons. And in- combines Fritos, chili pow-
better social functions. Of- stead of using food to at- der, beans, tomato, ched-
tentimes, I meet artists that tract musicians to create dar and chocolate. Quest-
are islands on their own music, I'm kind of doing the love said despite the com-
and I tell them all the time, opposite where music is bination of seemingly odd
'Find your flock, gather your now in the background." flavors, the dish ended up
flock,'" he said. "We live in To inspire his "Mixtape Pot- one of his top five favorite
such a singular society now luck" celebrities on picking recipes.
that really doesn't encour- out their recipes, Quest- "It's 2019, the idea of taboo
age the idea of collaborat- love sent along a song mixing — be it socially, culi-
ing or even social gather- that he felt best captured nary, music-wise, in our en-
ings anymore." their unique creative en- tertainment, or politically —
"For me, the result is when ergy. Martha Stewart got shouldn't really shock any-
people the next day say, a Snoop Dogg tune, while one. I mean, we commonly
'Hey. I exchanged numbers vegetarian Natalie Port- have accepted the idea of
with this particular artist or man got "Vegetables" by salty caramel, right? Yeah.
this particular singer, this The Beach Boys. I'm certain back in 1984,
particular writer or this par- Jimmy Fallon, who works like, 'Wait, you want to put
ticular architect, and now with The Roots on "The To- salt and chocolate togeth-
we're going to work and night Show Starring Jimmy er? No way.'"
collaborate together,'" he Fallon," got Bruce Springs- Dolce, who works in the
said. teen's "Hungry Heart" and, world of food full-time, said
Included in the book is in turn, offered his recipe for she's impressed by Quest-
Marisa Tomei's grand- Air-Fried Chicken Burgers. love's knack for knowing
mother's recipe for charred "Giving him a Bruce Spring- what are the interesting
red peppers, Carla Hall's steen song is very easy be- dishes and who are the
pimento cheese dip, Jes- cause in his heart, there's a chefs to watch. "He just has
sica Biel's blueberry cake Jersey boy dying to come his finger on the pulse in a
and Carol Lim's Korean out in Jimmy Fallon's soul." way that is almost mind-
fried chicken. A mac and Questlove relied on his as- blowing," she said.q