Giada Pamela De Laurentiis
(; born August 22, 1970) is an Italian American chef, writer, television personality, and the current host of the Food Network programs Everyday Italian
, Behind the Bash
, Giada's Weekend Getaways
, Giada in Paradise
, and Giada at Home
. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's Today
. De Laurentiis is the founder of the catering business GDL Foods.
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GIADA DE LAURENTIIS TICKETS
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Personal life
Giada Pamela De Laurentiis was born in
Rome,
Italy, the eldest child of actress Veronica De Laurentiis and her first husband, actor-producer
Alex De Benedetti, who was a close associate of his wife's father, the film producer
Dino De Laurentiis.
[1] Her parents were married in February 1970 but were later divorced.
[2] After their parents' divorce, De Laurentiis and her siblings moved to
Southern California where Giada and her siblings took their mother's surname.
Her grandparents are producer Dino De Laurentiis and Italian film star
Silvana Mangano. Her siblings include sister Eloisa, a
makeup artist, and brothers Dino Alexander, a Hollywood film editor, and Igor. Her stepfather is producer Ivan Kavalsky.
De Laurentiis graduated from
Marymount High School and holds a
bachelor's degree in
social anthropology from
UCLA (1996).
On May 25, 2003, she married Todd Thompson, a
fashion designer for
Anthropologie
. The two had been dating since July 1989. The couple's first child, Jade Marie De Laurentiis Thompson, was born on March 29, 2008.
[3]
De Laurentiis, dubbed as "a petite powerhouse" by
Town & Country
magazine, stands "just under five foot two."
[4] [5]
Career
De Laurentiis, a self-proclaimed
chocoholic, studied at
Le Cordon Bleu
in
Paris,
France with aspirations of becoming a
pastry chef. After returning to the
United States, she became a professional chef working in several
Los Angeles restaurants, notably the
Wolfgang Puck-owned
Spago. She later worked as a food stylist and was contacted by the
Food Network after styling a piece in
Food & Wine Magazine
in 2002.
Her cooking program,
Everyday Italian
, has been broadcasted on the Food Network since 2003. On her
Chefography
(a Food Network
biography program), she admitted that she never wanted to be in her "family business" of
show business. She felt very uncomfortable in front of the camera when she first began hosting
Everyday Italian
, but has since become more relaxed and open on air. When the program first aired, the Food Network received emails accusing the network of hiring a model or actress pretending to cook instead of a real chef.
[6]
De Laurentiis began hosting
Behind the Bash
in October 2006. The program examines the catering process behind big event extravaganzas such as the
Grammy Awards. In January 2007, a third De Laurentiis-hosted show,
Giada's Weekend Getaways
, debuted on Food Network. On this show, De Laurentiis travels to a featured locale (such as
Seattle,
South Beach,
San Francisco,
Napa, and
Jackson Hole, Wyoming) and visits her favorite local culinary destinations.
On a November 2006 episode of
Iron Chef America
, De Laurentiis and
Bobby Flay competed against, and were defeated by,
Rachael Ray and
Mario Batali.
In 2007, De Laurentiis appeared as a presenter on the inaugural
Food Network Awards.
In June 2007, she hosted a two-part Food Network special entitled
Giada in Paradise
, featuring the two locales of
Santorini,
Greece and
Capri,
Italy. De Laurentiis also made several appearances as a guest judge on the third season of
The Next Food Network Star
, which aired in 2007. In 2008, she won a
Daytime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Lifestyle Host.
De Laurentiis is a spokesperson for the pasta manufacturer
Barilla.
[7]
Publications
In 2005, De Laurentiis published her first cookbook,
Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes
. A second cookbook,
Giada's Family Dinners
, was released on April 4, 2006. Another cookbook,
Everyday Pasta
, was released on April 3, 2007. Her latest cookbook,
Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites
, was released on September 30, 2008.
References
- SAM-RAIMI-INTERVIEW-1987
- Tullio Kezich and Alessandra Levantesi, "Dino: The Life and Films of Dino De Laurentiis", Miramax 2004, ISBN 078686902X
- Jordan, Julie. "Giada De Laurentis Welcomes a Baby Girl!", ''People'', March 30, 2008.
- A petite powerhouse: she started young, cooking as a child in her mother's kitchen. Now Giada De Laurentiis is whipping up Italian favorites on the small screen and becoming a bigger star every day.(Cover story) - Town & Country - HighBeam Research
- http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/images/townandcountry_4.jpg
- On-Air With Ryan Seacrest
- About Giada De Laurentiis