Emilio Baglioni became culinary host to the Hollywood stars, employed by

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some ...

Warner Brothers Studios Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

as the head of the commissary and executive dining room for

and heads of every department and provided food for the actors and the crew during filming. When Warner retired from the studio in 1968, Baglioni remained at Warner Brothers and opened his own restaurant at the same time simply called “Emilio's” located on Melrose and Highland Avenues in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. Many Hollywood stars continued to flock to Emilio's because he prepared their favorite meals, such as Elizabeth Taylor's beloved dinner was “Three colored salad;”

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

Linguine with Clams; Esther Williams dined on “Veal Piccata;”

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

liked "Scalappine al Marsala," Jack LaLane's "Cioppino;" John Wayne "Mixed Salad with New York Steak well charred;"

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...

"Scampi al vino bianco. The "Hollywood Times" newspaper reported: "Emilio's is currently & has been for many years the "In Place" to go in Hollywood. Today you may see TV Newscaster, stars from nearby Paramount Studios, affluent people from everywhere gathered together to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere & outstand cuisine. ...At Emilio's almost everything is prepared on the premises. Breads are homebaked, fresh pastas are prepared daily & there is even a garden across from the restaurant where Emilio himself arrives early each morning to select his own vegetables, herbs, & beautiful flowers to set his tables....A legendary restaurant pioneer in Los Angeles, Emilio attributes his success to these words: "Never sacrifice quality & love your customers." In 1995, Baglioni sold his restaurant, learned to play the

Button Accordion A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons. This differs from the piano accordion, which has piano-style keys. Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs categorize it as a free reed ae ...

and traveled around the world playing Italian music.

Early life

Born May 4, 1932, in Macchia D'Aboreq, Valle Castellana, Abruzzo,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, the son of Domenico Baglioni (1886-1969) an engineer / farmer, and descendant of

Gian Paolo Baglioni Gian Paolo Baglioni (c. 1470 – June 1520) was an Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia. He was the son of Rodolfo Baglioni and initially fought mostly in Umbria, especially against the family rivals, the Oddi. In 1498 he was hired by Florence ...

. Emilio's mother, Guiseppina Castelli, (1894-1938) died when Baglioni was 6 years old, she left 9 children. Baglioni grew up in the poor mountainous part of Abruzzo during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. When Mussolini's soldiers entered Abruzzo, Baglioni did not want to join the Black Shirts. He was running an away when a Black Shirt shot him the leg. He fell down and rolled into a ditch. When the Black Shirt found him, he pointed his rifle at Emilio with the intent to kill him, a Partisan—member of the Italian resistance movement—shot the Black Shirt and saved Emilio's life. When a friendly local lady discovered Baglioni, she took him into her home to care for him. Afterwards, he returned to his family in the mountains where his father and brothers avoided Mussolini's fascist indoctrinations. One of which, Baglioni recalled was, “If you did not join, they would make you drink

castor oil Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans. It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its density is 0.961 g/cm3. It includes a mixture of triglycerides in which about ...

every day until you joined. I jumped on my horse, bareback, and rode up into the hills, hid in a cave until the fascists left.”

European career

After the war, Baglioni moved to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

where he went to architecture school then two years later he went to San Remo for hotel school and language study where he learned French and German. When he finished school, he went to work in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

, Switzerland. Several years later, he was offered a job in London, England, where he learned English and worked at the

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August ...

. On September 23, 1959, he accepted a job offer as host / chef at the

Four Seasons Restaurant The Four Seasons Restaurant (known colloquially as the Four Seasons) was a New American cuisine restaurant in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City from 1959 to 2019. The Four Seasons operated within the Seagram Building at 99 ...

in New York City. While employed at the Four Seasons he met many influential people, among them Jack Warner, of Warner Brothers Studios.

Ciao Italia

Ciao Italia is a worldwide organization formed for the purpose of generalizing Italian food. Baglioni explained, “Every little town, hamlet, and city in Italia has their particular style of food. For instance if one asks for marinara sauce in southern Italy it is a heavy sauce, redder in color, but if one asks the same sauce in northern Italy it is lighter in color, almost pink. Through Ciao Italia we tried to create a commonality of Italian food in order to promote Italian food worldwide.” Baglioni served as president of the California chapter of Ciao Italia Organization for 1979–1984.

Personal life

Baglioni, presently divorced, was married to Pauline, a British subject; they had six children, Pina, Dino, Milo, Samantha, Paula, & Marcelo. Emilio has one daughter from a subsequent relationship, Brooke. His life-partner was the actress

Tina Scala Tina Scala (July 16, 1935 – January 10, 2022) was an Italian-born American actress, model, singer and poet. Early life The daughter of an Italian father and an Irish mother, Scala's early life was one of privilege. As Agatina Carmen Maria Scog ...

, an actress and younger sister of

Gia Scala Gia Scala (born Josephine Grace Johanna Scoglio; March 3, 1934 – April 30, 1972) was a British-American actress. Early life Scala was born March 3, 1934, in Liverpool, England, to Sicilian father Pietro Scoglio, and Irish mother Eileen O'S ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baglioni, Emilio 1932 births People from the Province of Teramo Italian chefs Italian restaurateurs Italian expatriates in the United States