Oprah Shares How Tina Turner Introduced Her to the World of Truffles

“Oprah, do you prefer your eggs with truffles or without?”That was my wake-up greeting from none other than Tina Turner on the morning after my very first sleepover at her home on the lake in Switzerland. I was still floating—practically levitating—from the sheer magic of being in her presence, let alone her personal space. I had tried to be just the right amount of casual and glamorous, which is to say I wore my best pajamas, smoothed my hair, and dabbed on a little lip gloss before heading to the breakfast table.Trying to be quick-witted, I replied, “No, I don’t like chocolate this early.” She burst out laughing—like, a real, from-the-gut Tina Turner laugh.“My dear, I wouldn’t give you chocolate for breakfast,” she grinned. “Unless it’s in a croissant. I’m talking about real truffles. The kind that grow in the ground like mushrooms.”And there I sat, wrapped in silk and wonder, feeling slightly foolish as I had to admit that I had no idea what she was talking about.That, my friends, was my introduction to the mysterious, seductive world of truffles—and it was love at first bite.George BurnsOprah and Tina Turner.That moment in the late ’90s sparked a lifelong quest. Since then, I’ve sought out great truffles wherever they grow, wherever they’re served, and wherever that heady, earthy aroma can pull me in like a siren’s song. There’s a company in New York I discovered called Sabatino that supplies many of the top restaurants across North America. In 2014, Kirby, Gayle, and I went truffle hunting with the owner, Federico Balestra, and became fast friends. Now, every occasion at my house—special or not—can turn into a truffle celebration. I’ve converted friends, gifted truffles to fellow enthusiasts, and chosen Truffle Zest as a “Favorite Thing” more than once. It captures the essence of truffle—deep, musky, ethereal—without the hefty price tag.But nothing compares to hunting for truffles yourself. It’s a kind of metaphor for life itself, which is to say that some of the most valuable truths, lessons, and moments of growth are the hardest won. Recently, I shared that joy with my daughter-girls and goddaughter Kylee in the misty forests of Umbria, Italy. We spent the day with local hunters and their expertly trained dogs. Years ago, they used pigs, but pigs love truffles, and retrieving one from a pig’s mouth was…let’s just say, not ideal. Dogs, on the other hand, don’t care for the taste. They hunt for the scent, get their treat, and let you enjoy the prize. Oprah WinfreyIt’s the aftermath that’s the most magical part.After a long day of foraging, we gathered at Federico’s parents’ home—a rustic villa nestled in olive groves and golden fields. Friends and neighbors joined us, and we laid out the day’s harvest like treasure. Then the cooking began. They made fresh pizzas—margherita, sausage, zucchini flower, and thinly sliced potato—with the express purpose of being topped with delicate shavings of truffle and sprinkled with Truffle Zest. And that was only the beginning. Oprah WinfreyWhat followed was a five-course, all-truffle feast—pasta, risotto, eggs, even truffle-laced butter for freshly baked bread. The scent was intoxicating: earthy, buttery, faintly garlicky, a little wild. The texture? Silky and tender when shaved thin, melting slightly from the warmth of the food. The taste? A kind of umami dream, like nature’s most elegant perfume transformed into flavor.We were stuffed. I couldn’t eat for two days afterward.Oprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey That night, under a full orange moon rising over the Umbrian hills, we danced. Arms around each other, glasses in hand, we sang under the stars:🎶 “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore…” 🎵Yes, we’d had too much wine. But there were no cars, no clocks, no need for anything but laughter, music, and moonlight. We even shaved truffles over homemade vanilla gelato, because why not?That, my friends, is how truffle memories are made.And I like to think Tina was smiling from heaven that night.Oprah Winfrey is a global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress, and author. Over the course of her career, she has created an unparalleled connection with people and communities around the world. Oprah oversees Harpo Productions, serves as chairman and CEO of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and is the founder of O, The Oprah Magazine and OprahDaily.com. In 1996, Oprah’s Book Club launched, serving as a catalyst for the creation of book clubs around the world and millions of books sold across genres. For 25 years, Oprah was the host and producer of the award-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah is also a dedicated philanthropist and the founder of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. In 2013, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor. In 2018, Oprah became the first African American woman to be honored with the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award, and in 2022, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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