Throughout Evan Funke’s busy career, one thing has remained consistent: a love of pasta. From two decades spent honing the Italian tradition at six restaurants — including Mother Wolf and Tre Dita — to opening pasta laboratorios at Felix Trattoria in Venice, California and Funke in Beverly Hills, writing a cookbook about hand-rolled sheets of pasta, American Sfoglino, and starring in the docuseries Shape of Pasta, Funke’s reverence for and mastery of the delicious dish has been the beating heart of his culinary storytelling. 

Now the two-time James Beard Award-nominated chef adds a new chapter to his lifelong love with the four-part series Chef’s Table: Noodles. The latest installment of the Emmy-nominated docuseries takes carb lovers around the globe with four experts in their fields: Funke, Shaanxi London pioneer Guirong Wei, Michelin star winner Peppe Guida, and Cambodian Californian rising star Nite Yun.

There’s no one better suited to plan a celebratory, cinematic affair than Funke, who is also the official chef of the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Here the maestro sets the scene for his dream dinner party.

I’m not a good guest at dinner parties; I will undoubtedly end up in the kitchen where I am most comfortable. First things first, we have to shop. We have to hit La Boqueria Market in Barcelona, Spain for guindillas, jamón ibérico de bellota, and tetilla. After that, it’s the Marché des Enfants Rouges and Poilâne bakery in Paris, France for produce and bread. Then fish from Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo, Japan, salumi and cheese from Tamburini in Bologna, Italy. While I’m at it, I’ll stop for some fries at Vleminckx in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 

I’m cooking alongside Ada Boni, the grandmother of Italian food writing; Marcella Hazan, who needs no introduction; and Monsieur Fernand Point in his kitchen at La Pyramide circa 1950. On the pizza oven (we will need to build one, clearly) is Anthony Mangieri, for whom I would happily stack wood and pick basil.

In the dining room are Coco Chanel, José Andrés, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Obama, Steve McQueen, Jack London, Rick Rubin, Edgar Degas, my wife Grace, and our bulldogs Beau and Sweetpea. Sirio Maccioni is running service and master sommelier Bobby Stuckey is on champagne. Prince, Luciano Pavarotti, and Wu-Tang Clan are on guitar and vocals; maybe John Bonham brings some bongos. 

After the assortment of snacks from Barcelona, bread from Poilâne, oysters from Tokyo, and mortadella dreams from Bologna, it’s on to the next course: perfect Hachiya persimmons from JJ’s Lone Daughter Ranch and freshly made mozzarella di bufala from Casa Bianca
in Battipaglia, Italy. 

Alessandra Spisni makes a cameo and adds her crescentina and polpette to the mix. Ada and Marcella knock out the lasagna bolognese. José Andrés will ultimately start a fire somewhere and bang out a paella. Monsieur Point shall drink champagne until it’s time to prepare the sautéed skate wing in beurre noisette. For dessert, it’s sfogliatelle from La Sfogliatella Mary in Napoli, Italy, Sarah Cicolini’s maritozzi at Santo Palato, and the coffee granita with panna sotto e sopra from Caffè Europa in Catania, Italy. 

After dinner, it’s Jerry Thomas pouring Yamazaki 25. The end.