Lidia Bastianich

July 19, 2026 | Updated: July 22, 2026

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Chef Lidia Bastianich — https://www.pbs.org/video/preview-1o69co/
Credit: ©PBS

Lidia Giuliana Matticchio Bastianich (born February 21, 1947) is an American celebrity chef, television host, author, and restaurateur. Specializing in Italian and Italian-American cuisine, Bastianich has been a regular contributor to public television cooking shows since 1998. She is an Emmy Award-winning public television host, best-selling cookbook author, successful restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business.

Early Life

Lidia Bastianich was born into an Italian family that regarded fine cooking and the freshest ingredients as necessities, indispensable to daily life. Born in Pula, then in Istria (today Croatia), she fled to Italy with her family as refugees before emigrating to the United States. Now, in New York City, her own family continues the tradition.

Career

In 1981, Lidia and her husband, Felice, opened Felidia, a felicitous combination of their two names. At Felidia, Bastianich prepared the food of her childhood, learning the secrets of a traditional Italian kitchen at her grandmother’s knee. The menu at Felidia boasts an expansive offering of regional delicacies.

As chef and co-owner of multiple New York restaurants including Felidia, Becco, and Frico, Lidia Bastianich left an indelible mark on the city. In 1990, Bastianich co-authored La Cucina di Lidia, a cookbook of 120 recipes from Northeastern Italy.

In 1998, she launched her PBS series Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen, which led to multiple acclaimed series including Lidia’s Italy, Lidia’s Kitchen, and Lidia’s Family Table. She has written over a dozen cookbooks.

Together with her son, Joseph Bastianich, and chef Mario Batali, she was a partner in the Eataly empire, bringing high-quality Italian food markets to the United States.

Awards and Recognition

Emmy Award-winning television host
Multiple James Beard Award nominations
Author of over a dozen best-selling cookbooks
Host of numerous PBS cooking series

Legacy

Despite her business, culinary, and intellectual accomplishments, Bastianich prefers to project an image of herself as that of loving mother, caretaker, and nurturer. “As she talks of food and its preparation,” says Jay Jacobs, co-author of her cookbook, “it soon becomes obvious that for her the service of a meal is an act of love.” She has introduced generations of Americans to the true diversity of Italian regional cooking.