Giada De Laurentiis
Chef Giada DeLaurentiis is an Emmy Award winning television personality, New York Times Bestselling Author, Today correspondent, Food Network Star judge and restaurateur who has become a household name. With an impressive background of culinary training and a unique, personable charm, she is a globally revered celebrity chef who continues to prove her skill and accessibility.
Born in Rome, Giada grew up in a large Italian family where the culture of food was a staple. As the granddaughter of film producer Dino DeLaurentiis, Giada constantly found herself in the family’s kitchen and at her grandfather’s restaurant, DDL Foodshow. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Anthropology, Giada’s passion for cooking remained. She made the decision to commence a culinary career, and trained professionally at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, specializing in both cuisine and pastry. She subsequently returned to Los Angeles, where she held positions at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Fine Dining Room and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Beverly Hills. She founded GDL Foods, a successful catering company in Los Angeles.
Giada’s career started on Food Network in 2002 when she was discovered by a network executive upon reading an article about her and the De Laurentiis family in Food & Wine magazine. Since then, Giada has earned an Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Host and has become one of Food Network’s most recognizable faces. Her Emmy Award winning, daytime cooking show, Everyday Italian, featured quick, healthy and satisfying Italian dishes. Her primetime show, Giada’s Weekend Getaways, debuted in January 2007 and followed Giada to popular destinations in and around the U.S. as she explored the cities’ most notable restaurants and activities. Giada can also be seen on Food Network in specials, such as Giada in Paradise: Capri, Santorini, Monaco, and Thailand as well as judge and mentor alongside fellow chefs Bobby Flay and Alton Brown on the highly popular series, Food Network Star. Her Emmy Award winning series, Giada at Home, premiered in 2008 and features Giada in her kitchen, where she plans and prepares meals and parties for family and friends. Her latest Food Network series, Giada in Italy, Giada’s Holiday Handbook and Giada Entertains are currently airing and provide a taste of Italy, as well as entertaining and holiday tips. Besides Food Network, Giada is a correspondent on NBC’s Today, where she highlights current trends in travel, cuisine and lifestyle.
The foray into cookbooks was an obvious decision, allowing Giada’s loyal viewership to reference, prepare and share their favorite recipes. Published by Random House/Clarkson Potter, De Laurentiis’ first book and New York Times best-seller, “Everyday Italian,” showcases many of the delicious recipes from her cooking show of the same name. Her second book entitled, “Giada’s Family Dinners,” quickly became another New York Times best-seller as did every other cookbook she has written since: “Everyday Pasta” (2007), “Giada’s Kitchen” (2008), “Giada at Home” (2010), “Weeknights with Giada” (2012),”Giada’s Feel Good Food” (2013), “Happy Cooking” (2015) and “Giada’s Italy” (2018).
Giada also writes a series of adventure books for young readers, “Giada De Laurentiis’s Recipe for Adventure,” which explore some of Giada’s favorite cities around the globe as well as some of her favorite, youth-friendly, recipes. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, the cities explored in the books thus far are Paris, Naples, Hong Kong, New Orleans, Rio, Hawaii and Miami.
Her venture as a restaurateur brought her to Las Vegas, where her first restaurant, GIADA, inside The Strip’s only boutique hotel, The Cromwell, is not only a host to incredible Giada-fied Italian cuisine with a California flair, but boasts the best view in town. In February 2018, Giada opened her second restaurant, PRONTO, in Caesars Palace. PRONTO is a fast-casual restaurant offering everything from pastries to panini to cakes by the slice, a specialty coffee program, expansive wine list, and an Italian-inspired retail space. In May 2018, Giada opened her third restaurant, GDL Italian by Giada, in Baltimore, which offers fresh pasta, pizzas, and antipasti with the feeling of dining al fresco.
Furthermore, Giada has taken her experience and recently launched a new lifestyle website, Giadzy.com, where she showcases new recipes, videos, lifestyle and travel tips.
Giada’s philanthropic work includes the installation of a Learning Garden at Foster Elementary School in Compton, California. Along with students, teachers and members of the local community, Giada planted numerous vegetables and herbs throughout the garden. The school continues to maintain the plants and regularly incorporates them into the students’ meals. Giada pays regular visits to the school and stays engaged in the garden’s long-term sustainability. She is also an ambassador for Stand Up 2 Cancer and the Melanoma Research Alliance and is involved in Alex’s Lemonade Stand which raises money and awareness of childhood cancer causes.
Giada currently resides in Los Angeles
