BOOKBITES  .   .   .

DOLORES RIVELLINO WALSH GOES TO CHEF HEAVEN!

I was so sorry to learn of the passing of my friend and first public relations client in Malibu Dolores Walsh (the Godmother of Malibu) who was a very hard working woman who loved food and loved people.

When Sophia Loren was in prison to retain her parental rights to her sons from Carlo Ponti, Dolores wrote her support letters and Sophia answered her. The letter hung on Dolores' Godmother Cafe for years that contained a quote from Loren that read 'Pasta is not fattening, only what you put on it!" Pavarotti came to buy food from Dolores while visiting friends in the Colony, and they became fast friends. He loved her food!

My first front page photo with a two page inside feature was done on Dolores by a feature writer from the Santa Monica Outlook. Dolores and her sister, who was a also a fantastic chef, built an amazing clientele of devoted patrons who all loved her family inspired Italian recipes. Every celebrity in the Malibu Colony loved her dishes and her fun personality. I regret that I never had a chance to say goodbye to her.

Dolores Rivellino Walsh, better known as the Godmother of Malibu, died Sunday, July 22. The former New Yorker—turned Malibu restaurateur and caterer—had just turned 83. Rivellino Walsh operated The Godmother restaurant at the Malibu Racquet Club for decades and catered hundreds of events for Malibu notables. She sold the restaurant in recent years, but was still a presence around town and known and loved by many who appreciated her gregarious personality and bright red lipstick.

Posts on social media sites called her a "Malibu legend." She was known for saying, "Eat like you give a damn."

Rivellino Walsh was the author of "The Malibu Cookbook."

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THE ANTI-COOK BOOK

Easy, Thrifty Recipes for Food - Smart Livine

by Shelley Onderdonk and Rebecca Bloom

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