Audrey Hepburn at the table

Audrey Hepburn belonged to no single national cuisine: she ate in Belgium, in occupied Holland, in Rome, in Hollywood, and later in her Swiss garden. Her table held little — a plate of pasta, a fresh market vegetable, a square of chocolate — served simply, at home, in small portions. Marked by the hunger of war, she turned frugality into elegance: you do not take much, but what you take is good, handmade, and shared with family.

Audrey often said pasta was her favorite dish. Discovered in Rome in the 1950s, simply dressed with tomato sauce or a drizzle of olive oil, it remains the signature of her cooking: few ingredients, great care.