La vedette des films Chicago, The Terminal et The Mask of Zorro entre autres, a démontré ses multiples talents aux clients du restaurant Fiamma.

La vedette préparait un prochain rôle pour le film Mostly Martha dans lequel elle interprétera une grande chef cuisinière qui devra s'occuper inopinément de sa petite-nièce.

Un témoin de l'expérience de Zeta-Jones a confié au magazine People: « Un soir, elle a fait quelques services. Des gens lui ont dit qu'elle ressemblait à Catherine Zeta-Jones. Elle a répondu que cela lui arrivait tout le temps. »

Le propriétaire du restaurant a mentionné : « Elle a fait plusieurs trucs en cuisine. Elle est douée pour garnir les assiettes. Elle a fait un bon travail. »

Now, the British actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones, has joined the ranks of method actors by spending a week "undercover" in a New York restaurant to help her understand her forthcoming film role as a chef. The actress was reckoned to be "a great garnisher" at Fiamma, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan where she worked in the kitchens preparing food for unsuspecting diners.

The stunt was arranged to provide her with insights for her role in the romantic comedy Mostly Martha. The Swansea-born actress worked mainly as a chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant, in the heart of the trendy SoHo district. In an interview with People magazine, Fiamma's co-owner and chef, Michael White, said: "She's been doing a lot in the kitchen - sautéing and cutting. She's a great garnisher. Drizzling oil and balsamic on plates - she does a nice job." She even spent one night as a waitress without guests realising that a Hollywood star was serving them. A fellow waitress told how Zeta-Jones went largely unrecognised by guests: "One night she did a little serving. A few people said to her, 'You look so much like Catherine Zeta-Jones'. And she said, 'Oh, I get that all the time'."