During the course of this Monday, September 7, an unexpected news item surprised the entertainment world. It was reported that the life of Petrona Carrizo de Gandulfo, popularly known as Doña Petrona, could be adapted into a biographical theater production.
Although details about the project are still scarce, on Intrusos they revealed some information that has already sparked anticipation. Among them, who would be the actress chosen to embody the iconic Argentine television cook.
“If everything comes together, Doña Petrona would be played by Carmen Barbieri,” announced Rodrigo Lussich in a cryptic fashion during the show, as he celebrated the news with his fellow panelists.
Carmen Barbieri Would Play Doña Petrona in the Theater
According to what was reported on Intrusos, Carmen Barbieri would be interested in taking on the challenge of portraying Doña Petrona. The project is still in an early stage, although a script has already been written and there is a draft with some ideas that could be part of the production.
“Let’s say she wants to do it, the book is written, and what remains is the producer and someone to supply the ‘money’,” they commented during the cycle, making clear that the people behind the production and the necessary funding to bring the show to fruition still need to be defined.
In addition, Adrián Pallares hinted at a possible premiere date for the work on stage. For now, it is an estimate and not a confirmed debut. “April 2027 on Corrientes Street,” they noted on the program with anticipation.
Later, the panelists reviewed various moments from the artist’s career and highlighted her interest in seeing her interpret such an emblematic figure of Argentine popular culture.
💣 CARMEN BARBIERI INTERPRETARÍA A DOÑA PETRONA EN SU BIOPIC@intrusos #Intrusos26Años pic.twitter.com/aMPr6SvSbG
— América TV (@AmericaTV) September 7, 2026
The Legacy Doña Petrona Left
Petrona Carrizo de Gandulfo built a career that extended far beyond cooking. Beyond her radio and television work, she published books with recipes and culinary secrets, but also with advice linked to household organization and the daily life of the women of her era.
Her rise to stardom came with television. In 1960 she joined Buenas tardes, mucho gusto, where she shared the screen with her assistant Juana “Juanita” Bordoy. The program ran for two decades and became one of the major references of Argentine television at that time.
The show aired on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons and achieved immense resonance with the audience. According to historical records about the program, it received hundreds of letters per day and boasted an audience of hundreds of thousands of housewives.
Meanwhile, her famous cookbook became a publishing phenomenon. Its success was such that it outsold works by renowned Argentine writers and other widely circulated publications.
Doña Petrona was a true pioneer of culinary television and laid the foundations for a tradition that remains vibrant to this day. She died in 1992 at the age of 93 after suffering a heart attack, but her legacy persists in Argentine culinary culture.
Now, more than three decades after her death, the possibility of Carmen Barbieri embodying her opens the door to a fresh perspective on the life and career of a woman who forever changed the way cooking is presented on camera.
