Bleu inParis,whereshespecialized
inbothcuisineandpastry—much to
thechagrinofhergrandfather,who
thoughtcookingwas“men’swork.”
Uponherreturn toLosAngeles, she
trainedat theRitz-CarltonFineDin-
ingRoomandWolfgangPuck’sSpago
inBeverlyHillsbefore launchingher
cateringcompany,GDLFoods.
ManyhavehelpedguideDeLau-
rentiisalongherpath in thecooking
world. Shecreditsherpassionand in-
spiration forcookingtoherauntRaffy.
“She ismycookingbuddy in the
kitchen, andweplaywithall sortsof
thingsandrecipes. She travelsall
over theworldandbringsback ingre-
dients.”Hermotherpassedon the
knackof feeding fourchildrenrela-
tivelyquickly, agift that comes in
handyasshedemonstrates theartof
mealpreparationonher television
shows.But shealsoadmirescooks
outside the familysuchas fellow
chefs InaGarten,whomDeLaurentiis
describesas“verysoothing, comfort-
able inherownskin, andavery
down-to-earthcook”; the“elegant”
JacquesPépin; andMarthaStewart,
whoseworkshefinds“groundbreak-
ingandempowering forwomen in
thebusiness.”
DeLaurentiis’ bigbreakarrived
when
Food&Wine
magazine,where
shewasworkingasa foodstylist,
askedher toorganizea familydin-
ner inhonorofhergrandfather in
2002.Asa result, theFoodNetwork
signedher forapilot, and thecam-
era immediatelypickeduponher
glamourandcharisma, launchinga
successful televisioncareer.DeLau-
rentiis’ hit showshave included
Everyday Italian,Giada’sWeekend
Getaways
, and theviewers’ favorite,
GiadaatHome
. Shehasalsoap-
peared inspecialssuchas
Giada in
Paradise:CapriandSantorini
, sat in
asa judge for thepopularseries
FoodNetworkStar
, andworkedasa
correspondent onNBC’s
Today
show. It isobvious thatDeLaurentiis’
infectiousenthusiasmandsimple
andaccessible recipeshavehitacul-
tural nerveaspeople return to the
traditionsof the familymeal table.
Cookbookswereanatural pro-
gression for the talented cook.Her
first book,
Everyday Italian
, de-
buted in 2005andwas followedby
Giada’sFamilyDinners
(2006) and
EverydayPasta
(2007),whichhit
theNo. 1 spot on the
NewYork
Times
best-seller list.
Giada’s
Kitchen
(2008) and
GiadaatHome
(2010) are the latest editions.
Sheaddedproducts toherbur-
geoningempirewith theGiadaDe
Laurentiis forTarget collection. In-
spiredbyAuntRaffy,whosuggested
nonstickpotswithglass lids ina
boldcolor, the linealso includes
sauces, dips, utensils, andgadgets.
Sowhat does thisEmmyAward-
winningpersonalitydeem theper-
fect dreamdinner?Guest-wise, the
dinneralreadyhappenedwhenDe
LaurentiisandhusbandToddwent
toapartyatWestHollywood’sCha-
teauMarmont anddinedwithNa-
thanFollowill, thedrummer from
thebandKingsof Leon (she isa
huge fan). “I lookedatmyhusband
Toddand said, ‘This isoneof the
coolest thingsaboutmy job,’” she
says.Menu-wiseherdreamdinner
“wouldnaturallybe Italian styleas
it’s important forpeople to seemy
tradition,” sheexplains. “Iwould
beginwithaNeapolitanpizzaappe-
tizer followedbya trioof pastas in-
cludingahandmadegnocchiwith
redvodka sauceanda stuffedpasta
like ravioli. Thiswouldbevery col-
orful, as I am into texture.”
Themaindishwouldbe lamb
chopsorbeef tenderloin servedwith
a currymayonnaiseas she “likes to
cookoutside theboxand surprise
people.” Broccoli rabewith red
COVER STORY
A Winning Combination
Giada's latest cookbook,
Giada At Home.
Top:
pasta Ponza and below: pea pesto crostini. Go to
celebratedliving.com/webexclusives for the recipes.
REPRINTED FROM THEBOOKGIADA ATHOMEBYGIADADE LAURENTIIS. ©2010BYGIADADE LAURENTIIS.PHOTOGRAPHS©2010BY JONELLEWEAVER. PUBLISHEDBYCLARKSON POTTER,ADIVISIONOFRANDOMHOUSE, INC.
FALL 2011
celebratedliving.com
26
