Acclaimed NJ chef Robbie Felice celebrates National Pasta Day with Drew Barrymore

One of America's favorite actresses recently got the chance to try one of North Jersey's favorite meals, as acclaimed local chef Robbie Felice joined Drew Barrymore on her morning talk show in honor of National Pasta Day.

Together, the pair cooked Mochi Ramen Cacio e Pepe, one of the famed dishes from Felice's Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant pastaRAMEN — and it was a hit with the Santa Clarita Diet star.

"Me and Drew cooked up a storm on the set," Felice said of his appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show , "And made that dish. I was really excited when she said cacio e pepe was her favorite sauce, because I knew she was going to like it. And she did; she loved it."

The Wafu Italian pasta entrée was one of the "most popular" dishes at pastaRAMEN last year, so preparing it for the carb-centric holiday was an easy decision for the James Beard-nominated chef.

"The cacio e pepe ramen was an absolute hit dish last year at pastaRAMEN; everyone loved it," Felice said.

And Barrymore — of course — was no exception.

Felice remarked on sharing the stage (and some noodles) with the actress.

"When I saw how excited she was about the ramen and cooking it, it got me really excited to be up there with her," he explained. "It was such a cool experience. She was literally the sweetest, most amazing person ever."

Taping the show, Felice continued, "was really special."

Where to watch The Drew Barrymore Show

The National Pasta Day episode of The Drew Barrymore Show aired at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17 on CBS. It will be available for streaming on Paramount+ beginning on Friday, Oct. 18 under the title "S5 E58."

And, for those who caught the broadcast live and are now hungry for a steamy bowl of cheesy ramen?

"The Cacio e Pepe is currently back on the pastaRAMEN menu as a special," Felice said.

"But who knows," he teased, "how long it will stay there."

Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can't find her in Jersey's best restaurants, she's probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats , and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter .

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Acclaimed NJ chef Robbie Felice celebrates National Pasta Day with Drew Barrymore