iada De Laurentiis is in her California home, with the sun beaming into the lemon-wallpapered room behind her. It’s early May, and the Italian-American chef, Emmy award-winning TV personality, New York Times bestselling cookbook author, restaurateur, and mother is about to leave for a two-week trip to Italy in just a few hours. Still, despite the tight schedule, De Laurentiis is warm and welcoming when I join a Zoom call with her; it feels like I’m speaking with an old friend.
Like many of us, De Laurentiis , 52, is gearing up for a busy summer of travel, work, and of course, entertaining. First, she’s off to Italy to be the Godmother of Oceania's newest cruiseliner, the Vista, a luxury cruise ship that will transport passengers to some of Europe’s most beautiful locations. After that, she’s headed to Malta, Corsica, Naples, and Rome to conduct research and create content for Giadzy, the lifestyle and e-commerce platform she founded in 2017.
Watching De Laurentiis cook on television or whip up a cocktail for her two million Instagram followers, you would never know that there was once a time when she was terrified to be in front of the camera — and that without the help of her family, she may have taken an entirely different path.
But since then, De Laurentiis has undergone an evolution both personally and professionally. As a culinary superstar with multiple television shows, cookbooks, and restaurants, De Laurentiis has always risen to the challenge and pushed herself to pursue new endeavors and get outside of her comfort zone — including, most recently, making the move to leave the Food Network and ink a new partnership with Amazon Studios.
“I was born in Rome, and I have a large Italian family,” De Laurentiis says. We moved to the States when I was 7 years old, and I think for my family, in particular, it was really about holding on to our traditions.”
Those Italian family traditions that were held onto so tightly by De Laurentiis’ family would go on to build the foundation of Giada’s passion for food and entertaining. “Sundays were our time together and my grandfather, who was the patriarch of the family, would get us kids in the kitchen, and we would all cook together,” she recalls. “My earliest memories are of making pizza. My grandfather would make the dough and then give us little balls of dough, and we'd roll it out and he'd have a bunch of toppings. We'd each make our own pizzas and I think, for me, that was the beginning of my love for food.”
Growing up, De Laurentiis’ family had many ties to the entertainment and movie industry. Her grandfather, Dino De Laurentiis, was a movie producer in Los Angeles. “His family had a pasta factory in Naples before World War II” Giada explains, “and although he was a movie producer, his true passion was food.” In addition to producing movies, Dino’s passion for food and his entrepreneurial spirit led him to open multiple successful gourmet Italian shops and eateries in New York and L.A. As a young teen, Giada would visit her grandfather’s shops after school and watch how he successfully married two of his biggest passions — entertainment and food. “My grandfather also used his shops as a venue for his movie premieres,” she says. “He did a lot of what I do today, which is sort of blend, synergistically, all the businesses together, which was very unique in those days. I think it was a big inspiration for what I ended up doing with my life.”
After high school, De Laurentiis studied social anthropology at UCLA. “With anthropology, you study a lot about cultures and how their food affects the culture and how it really defines who they are,” she points out. “And it was through that, that I realized, oh, you know, where I come from, my food and my culture, that defines who I am. That makes me different from other people. I realized I was putting all the pieces together and after that, I decided that I really wanted to go to culinary school.”
The decision wasn’t an easy one. “I wasn’t confident about [it],” De Laurentiis admits. When her family moved to California from Italy, she was held back a year to learn English, making her older than the rest of her classmates. “I was worried that if I changed my mind, I wouldn't have the ability to go back [to UCLA] because I was already a little bit older.”
But with support and encouragement from her family, she did it; she left California, moved to Paris, and trained at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school.
written by kenzie mastroe | photographs by Natasha Wynnyk
“He [my grandfather] did a lot of what I do today, which is sort of blend, synergistically, all the businesses together, which was very unique in those days. I think it was a big inspiration for what I ended up doing with my life.”
Early Lessons
G
“I think for women, we need to build our confidence. We need to look in that mirror and be confident about what we're asking for.”
prepped me for what was to come, but it wasn’t easy,” she says. “We all know that the restaurant business and the food business is a boys club, and they don't want the women in the boys club. So, I think that I just, you know, I built my confidence, I worked hard, and I asked a lot of questions. I don't know that you ever win them over, but you definitely can work around it. I think for women, we need to build our confidence. We need to look in that mirror and be confident about what we're asking for. And I think you do that through hard work and through asking lots of questions.”
The confidence De Laurentiis learned in Paris is something she tries to pass on to the women she works with today. “[Giada] has taught me everything along the way, from, how to lead a team to negotiate, and even forge ahead as a woman in this industry,” Giadzy Chief Marketing Officer, Lindsey Galey tells SheKnows. “I mean, the food industry, and even the business world that we're entering into now is so predominantly male-led, but Giadzy is female-founded, it’s female-led, our team is primarily females. I think it's kind of Giada’s way of trying to empower women to be in this space and have a seat at the table.,” Galey explains.
After culinary school and working in esteemed dining establishments like the Ritz-Carlton Fine Dining Room and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant in L.A., De Laurentiis was approached by a Food Network executive who offered her an opportunity that would change her life: Her own cooking show.
“The executive producers came to me and said, you need to have 150 recipes ready to go,” De Laurentiis recalls. “I remember telling my aunt Raffy, ‘I don't think I can do this. I think I should just say no because I don't have it and I don't know how I'm even going to come up with it.’ ” Aunt Raffy replied, “We’ll do it together,” and that defining moment became the catalyst for Giada’s incredible culinary career.
Today, after 21 years as a Food Network star, more than 10 cookbooks, a children’s book series, and multiple awards in the food and entertainment industries, Giada De Laurentiis has become the ultimate entertaining guru — always with an Italian twist, of course.
Even being the megastar she is today, De Laurentiis still pulls inspiration from her family when crafting recipes and planning gatherings. “My mom taught me how to sort of, you know, really prioritize time, and how to really create fabulous dishes that were uncomplicated,” she says.
That uncomplicated philosophy is the reason so many of us turn to her when it’s time to do some summer entertaining. De Laurentiis’s number one rule? Keep it simple. “I try to do a couple of dishes that are ready to go, that I can make in advance, that you can eat at room temperature, and then leave the rest to the grilling outside, because you want to spend as much time outside as possible.” she says.
In fact, one of De Laurentiis’s favorite summer events to host is a pizza party — the same kind her grandfather hosted when she was a child. “I love to have pizza parties outside and you know, have lots of different toppings and really engage my friends, so they can make this more of an experience rather than just a meal.”
When choosing an appetizer for a summer event, she always sticks with an Italian classic. “I think the thing that I always end up having is some kind of crostini. I love crostinis. I think they make the best appetizers.”
In fact, De Laurentiis loves crostini so much that a quick search for “crostini” on Giadzy yields more than 30 recipes. (Her Burrata Prosciutto Fig Crostini recipe will always be my personal favorite). But if you want to add a little heat, try one of Giada’s favorite ingredients: Calabrian chilis. “I love to do some seasoned ricotta and then I add some of the amazing jam we have on Giadzy from Piedmont and I add a little Calabrian chili to make it sweet but spicy and it's fabulous.”
De Laurentiis’s go-to summer entertaining philosophy may be to keep things as simple as possible, but like so many of us, she also loves to play with food trends — especially the fun ones on TikTok. For example, tinned fish has seen a resurgence in popularity lately, with creators coming up with all kinds of recipes using canned anchovies, mussels, scallops, and more. Giada is here for it. “I love, in particular, the anchovy trend, because I love anchovies,” she shares. “We sell some fabulous anchovies on Giadzy and we've created some awesome recipes.” (And yes, Giada has even created a delicious anchovy crostini recipe that can be found on Giadzy.)
Back in February, it was announced that De Laurentiis would be leaving the Food Network after an incredible 21-year run as a host, chef personality, and judge. “Giada De Laurentiis is culinary royalty, someone who has taught audiences how to properly pronounce every cut of pasta imaginable for nearly two decades,” a spokesperson for Food Network told People. “Food Network will always be proud of the beautiful content we have created together, and our table will always have an open seat for Giada.”
On the new deal with Amazon Studios, Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD Original content and programming at the company told Deadline (a sister site of SheKnows), “With her charismatic passion for food, and commitment to making extraordinary culinary experiences accessible to the home chef, Giada De Laurentiis has remained at the forefront of her industry for nearly two decades. We look forward to developing an exciting slate of projects with Giada, as she expands into new areas and we broaden our portfolio of cooking and lifestyle content.”
In addition, De Laurentiis has big plans for her lifestyle and e-commerce site, Giadzy. “I have a very exciting project I’m launching this summer on Giadzy — and it’s one I’ve been working on for years,” she says. She isn’t quite ready to share details yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated when she can share more. In the meantime, we recommend making yourself a delicious anchovy crostini and sipping Giada’s favorite Honey Lavender Gin Spritz while you plan your summer gatherings.
Life in Paris wasn’t without its own unique challenges — especially as a woman working in a largely male-dominated industry. “It's great that I went there because it really
New Beginnings
De Laurentiis and her aunt worked tirelessly to prepare the required 150 recipes, but the young chef faced another challenge: She was not a natural in front of the camera. The producers said to me, ‘You know, you’re a little bit standoffish on camera, so we need you to warm up a little.’ ” To help her prepare, Giada’s brother stepped in. “My brother, who a few years later passed away, worked on movies and would follow me around with a movie camera,” De Laurentiis remembers. “He followed me everywhere. To the dry cleaner, to the grocery store, in the car, all of it, and just basically shot me every step of the way until I got comfortable looking at him and talking to him. That exercise lasted a summer and the next season that I started shooting, I was a totally different person.”
An Entertaining Powerhouse
“My mom taught me how to sort of, you know, really prioritize time, and how to really create fabulous dishes that were uncomplicated.”
If you’re planning a summer soiree, you’re probably looking for some delicious cocktail options to serve. Giada shared her current favorite cocktail: a Honey Lavender Gin Spritz. “I use this lavender honey, again, from Piedmont that we sell on Giadzy as well, and it's kind of thick, so you sort of, you gotta stir really well. But it's gin, lavender, honey, club soda, and lemon juice and it is fabulous. I love it with my girlfriends, but my boyfriend enjoys it too.”
The Next Chapter
cover
photographs
Aubrie Pick
styling
Sam Saboura
hair and makeup
Julie Morgan
cover story
photographs
Natasha Wynnyk
styling
Sam Saboura
makeup
Jocelyn Rivard King
hair
Katherine Webb
RETURN TO digital issue
RETURN to digital issue
credits
Family
Style
After 21 years on the Food Network, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis reflects on the cooking empire she has built, where she’s going next, and how it all started at home.
photograph by
Aubrie Pick