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Lidia: A Life of Love, Family, and Food
The beloved Lidia Bastianich--best-selling cookbook author, award-winning television personality, and renowned restaurateur--tells her heartwarming, emotional and revelatory personal story for the first time, with hallmark warmth and gusto.
Lidia's story begins with her childhood in Pula, a small city in northern Italy turned Yugoslavian under Tito's communist regime. Despite the political climate and her family's poverty, she enjoyed a loving upbringing, spending time in the simple, rugged beauty of her fishing, farming, and foraging, and learning about Italian cooking from her beloved grandmother, Nonna Rosa. When the communist regime began investigating her family, they made the difficult decision to flee to Trieste, Italy, where they spent two years in a refugee camp waiting for visas to enter the United States--an experience that has affected Lidia ever since.
At the age of 12, Lidia started a new life in New York. As a young teenager, she began working in restaurants--the first step toward the creation of her own American dream. In this book, in vivid detail, she recounts her journey of fulfilling that dream. Supported by her close-knit family, and fueled by her dedication and endless passion for food, her drive ultimately led her to owning multiple restaurants, writing several cookbooks, and acting as host of her own television cooking show for twenty years. This memoir is an absolute must-have for the millions of Lidia fans who are eager to know her whole story at last.
Lidia's story begins with her childhood in Pula, a small city in northern Italy turned Yugoslavian under Tito's communist regime. Despite the political climate and her family's poverty, she enjoyed a loving upbringing, spending time in the simple, rugged beauty of her fishing, farming, and foraging, and learning about Italian cooking from her beloved grandmother, Nonna Rosa. When the communist regime began investigating her family, they made the difficult decision to flee to Trieste, Italy, where they spent two years in a refugee camp waiting for visas to enter the United States--an experience that has affected Lidia ever since.
At the age of 12, Lidia started a new life in New York. As a young teenager, she began working in restaurants--the first step toward the creation of her own American dream. In this book, in vivid detail, she recounts her journey of fulfilling that dream. Supported by her close-knit family, and fueled by her dedication and endless passion for food, her drive ultimately led her to owning multiple restaurants, writing several cookbooks, and acting as host of her own television cooking show for twenty years. This memoir is an absolute must-have for the millions of Lidia fans who are eager to know her whole story at last.
- GenresMemoir
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 3, 2018
5 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
31 books175 followersLidia Matticchio Bastianich is an American chef, businesswoman and restaurateur.
Specializing in Italian and Croatian cuisine, she has been a regular contributor to the PBS cooking show lineup since 1998. In 2007, she launched her third TV series, Lidia's Italy. She also owns four Italian restaurants in the U.S. in partnership with her son, the winemaster and restaurateur, Joseph Bastianich: Felidia (founded with her ex-husband, Felice) and Becco in Manhattan; Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Lidia's Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.
Specializing in Italian and Croatian cuisine, she has been a regular contributor to the PBS cooking show lineup since 1998. In 2007, she launched her third TV series, Lidia's Italy. She also owns four Italian restaurants in the U.S. in partnership with her son, the winemaster and restaurateur, Joseph Bastianich: Felidia (founded with her ex-husband, Felice) and Becco in Manhattan; Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Lidia's Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 24, 2020
Loved this book! Lidia's story is so interesting and she tells it with so much emotion and candor. I loved reading it and sharing her passion for food and family.
December 6, 2018
You know, it was a little slow at the beginning. I had many interruptions along the way as well. But, I really got into it. I love a good read that makes you wonder; that makes you laugh; that makes you cry. This is that book. I’ve gone to a few of the restaurants mentioned in the book and now that I’ve learned the behind the scenes scoop, I’m ready to return.
BTW, a great gift for those who love to eat and love to cook. A great read for those who want to understand Italian history. A great read for someone who wants to learn more about this highly accomplished woman in the form of Lidia Bastianich.
BTW, a great gift for those who love to eat and love to cook. A great read for those who want to understand Italian history. A great read for someone who wants to learn more about this highly accomplished woman in the form of Lidia Bastianich.
January 15, 2019
Lidia’s story is one of resilience and achievement in the face of refugee emigration and assimilation in the 1950s. The most interesting and impactful parts of the book deal early on with these topics. The less compelling material prattles on about her various board memberships, charitable activities, celebrity pals and the unsurprising accomplishments of her 2 children who work in the family’s businesses. As autobiographies go, this one merits 3.5 stars.
December 10, 2019
If you like cooking and you enjoy biographies, this is a very, very good read. Especially if you're a fan of Lydia. Hard to believe so much happened to her as a young child. Having read this, I feel I understand her more and will enjoy watching her show(s) more. I might even buy one of her cookbooks!
May 13, 2024
3.5
There was something almost braggy about it. Yes obviously she became a famous chef and yes her life before she was 16 was fraught with terrible things. But after she gets married everything just works out and even when they were struggling it didn't come across as such.
There was something almost braggy about it. Yes obviously she became a famous chef and yes her life before she was 16 was fraught with terrible things. But after she gets married everything just works out and even when they were struggling it didn't come across as such.
January 4, 2021
This was such a great book I savored every word. I have watched Lidia's PBS shows since she started and love watching her.
"Tutti a tavola a mangiare"
Salute!🍷
"Tutti a tavola a mangiare"
Salute!🍷
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews