“Cooking with my grandfather Dino is one of my earliest memories.” In going down memory lane, Giada De Laurentiis gets emotional. With such an important last name she was expected to work in the film industry, as the grandfather she is recalling is Dino De Laurentiis, one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II.
He, in fact, produced and co-produced more than 500 films, 38 were of which were nominated for the Academy Awards. Among his biggest successes, Federico Fellini’s 1954 Oscar winning The Road, 1973 Serpico, starring Al Pacino and directed by Sidney Lumet, and Three Days of the Condor by Sidney Pollack, just to name a few. If this weren’t enough, Giada’s grandmother was Italian actress Silvana Mangano, worldwide famous protagonist of the movie Bitter Rice.
Far from being only a chef and a TV personality, Giada has also written nine cookbooks
“I moved to America when I was six. My family would do what my grandfather said: he left and so we all went with him.” She recalls.
But Giada De Laurentiis succeeded in finding her own path by pursuing a culinary career, which actually doesn’t really come as a surprise. Cooking is a part of her heritage: she in fact comes from a lineage of pasta makers. Her great-grandfather Rosario, Dino’s father, had a popular laboratory in Torre Annunziata. Her grandfather Dino also owned a special retailer with two gourmet Italian markets called DDL one in New York City and one in Beverly Hills, some kind of Eataly ante litteram. This brought Giada to spend a great amount of her childhood at her grandfather’s restaurant and in her family’s kitchen.
Giada De Laurentiis says about her latest book: “I grew up in Rome, so this book and the recipes are especially close to my heart.”
So, the 47 year old Italian-American (she was born in Rome) grew up in a typically large Italian family, with a passion for cooking and for good food. This is why, after graduating from the University of California in Los Angeles with a degree in anthropology, she decided to follow her passion for food and to train professionally at Paris’ Le Cordon Bleu, where she specialized in both cuisine and pastry making. She eventually returned to Los Angeles, where she trained at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Fine Dining Room and at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Beverly Hills. She later founded GDL Foods, a catering company in Los Angeles.
In the meantime, Giada became a star on the Food Network and, by the beginning of 2002, she starred in nine shows, like Giada at Home and Everyday Italian.
Cooking is a part of her heritage: she in fact comes from a lineage of pasta makers
Far from being only a chef and a TV personality, Giada has also written nine cookbooks: her latest, Giada’s Italy: My Recipes for La Dolce Vita, is a deep dive into some of the country’s best dishes, adapted for American home cooks. L’Italo-Americano had recently a chance to interview the Emmy Award-winning and New York Times best-selling author.
Your grandfather Dino played a key role in your food education while growing up. What was his favorite dish?
Definitely Ziti Stufati. I remember he would make them for Sunday dinners and all of us kids would help roll the meatballs. Ziti Stufati is a traditional Neapolitan dish, and in general a favorite amongst my family.
Her latest book, Giada’s Italy: My Recipes for La Dolce Vita, is a deep dive into some of the country’s best dishes
In your latest cook-book, you invite fans and home cooks to know the flavors and stories that have inspi-red your life. How’s this book different from what you have done in the past?
I grew up in Rome, so this book and the recipes are especially close to my heart. I wrote many Italian cookbooks, but this is the first time I had the opportunity to go back to Italy and shoot there. Italy is the place that inspires me the most. I had an unforgettable experience exploring the city with my mom and my daughter Jade, and it was really enlightening to see Rome through Jade’s eyes, too. All of the recipes in the book are inspired by my family’s own recipes or by traditional Italian recipes from all over the country— from Florence to Sicily and Naples.
Why was it so important for you to share this with your fans and to go back to your origins?
Every time I go back to Italy, it recharges me. There’s something special about the warmth of Italian culture, and food plays a big part in that. It was important for me to share that, and give people the tools to recreate that experience at home. Each chapter of the book reflects the way Italians live and eat. You’ll also find Italian tips, like the difference among all the types of cured Italian meats, what you always find in an Italian pantry, how to use Calabrian chilies, and even how to navigate an Italian market. Overall, I’m excited to share my take on Italy with the public.
How did you choose the recipes to include in the book?
My family was a huge inspiration for this book. Many of the recipes are my take on dishes I grew up eating— it was actually hard to narrow it down! There were so many I wanted to include!
Is there any recipe you feel particularly attached to?
My Sartù di Riso— my Aunt Raffy and I worked on this recipe together, and it’s the recipe my grandmother made for her in-laws when she got engaged to my grandfather. It’s an old Neapolitan dish and it makes a stunning centerpiece for a big celebration.
I read your daughter helped you in the process. Do you feel that your love for food will pass on to her?
Jade loves being in the kitchen and helping me chop all the ingredients, but I doubt she’ll do exactly what I do for a living… she wants to pave her own path, just like I did.
How would you like Americans to consider Italian original dishes?
I’d like them to understand they’re easier to make than they think! I like to simplify my recipes and make them accessible to everyone. Making a great meal shouldn’t be stressful and a lot of times the items you already have in your pantry are all you need to make a delicious meal.
What are your must-have ingredients?
I always keep a handful of staple items on hand like olive oil, lemon, parmigiano reggiano, sea salt and pasta.
You have some pictures of Rome in the book, too. How did you choose those spots and why were they significant for you?
I really wanted to give readers a well-rounded taste of Rome… take them to markets, meat shops, to my family’s favorite restaurants, and even to antique stores where locals shop. While I was in Rome, I discovered a tiny shop with tons of different antique spoons and forks. It was a goldmine! There’s also a shop near my mom’s place in Rome that sells little squared marble pieces with Italian words on them. They’re great mementos to bring home for friends and family, and incredibly inspiring.
How would you define “Giada’s style” when it comes to food and recipes?
Italian with a Californian twist. Fresh and not overly complicated.
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