L'Italo-Americano

NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 3 sures of running a family busi- ness took its toll on their mar- riage and they divorced in 1997. I t w a s i n F e l i d i a , h o w e v e r , w h e r e J u l i a C h i l d t r i e d h e r risotto and other Italian dishes in the 1980's. For Julia the dishes were so savory, delicious and different, unlike any other Italian food that she had ever had before. Almost immediate- ly thereafter Lidia shared her recipes with Julia, and the two became friends. As the steady lunch crowd flowed in to Felidia on the first floor, we sat directly across from one another at an upstairs table away from most patrons. L i d i a b e f o r e s h e c o n t i n u e d sipped from her glass of mineral water, touched her bracelets and recounted the story when "One d a y J u l i a i n v i t e d m e o n h e r show, and after appearing a pro- d u c e r s u g g e s t e d m a y b e y o u should have your own show" since Lidia appeared very com- posed and natural in her first television appearance. In 1993, a younger Lidia appeared on the J u l i a C h i l d : C o o k i n g w i t h M a s t e r C h e f s a n d c o o k e d Risotto ai Funghi Selvatici. It is precisely at that moment when her career as a chef was launched and led to her own show in 1998. For television viewers, Lidia's personality exuded a sense of trust similar to what one has with a mother or aunt and that became her ini- tial selling point. Her audience, like Julia Child's popularity, was and is captivated by her humbleness and sincerity, and her ongoing cooking shows not only explain a variety of Italian r e g i o n a l d i s h e s b u t o f f e r Americans more than spaghetti and meatballs. Lidia along with Mario Batali, a good friend of h e r s o n , r e v o l u t i o n i z e d a n d changed Americans in their per- ception of Italian cuisine. F o r m a n y l i v i n g i n N o r t h America Italian food played sec- ond fiddle to French cuisine or other cultures that became more in vogue and popular during the 1 9 9 0 ' s a n d e a r l y 2 0 0 0 ' s . L i d i a ' s c a r e e r a n d m o t h e r l y image catapulted her into many American households who lis- tened attentively to her recipes. Lidia's career ran parallel to another Italian chef who was gaining popularity during the s a m e y e a r , M a r i o B a t a l i . G r a d u a l l y , L i d i a a n d M a r i o brought Italian cooking to main- stream middle class America w h o w e r e a l r e a d y e n j o y i n g p i z z a , e g g p l a n t p a r m i g i a n a , lasagna and baked ziti but were n o w i n t r o d u c e d t o p o l e n t a , pancetta, truffles and tortellini in brodo. F r o m h e r f i r s t t e l e v i s i o n appearance to her restaurants, Lidia created a successful brand that is synonymous with Italian Lidia along with Mario Batali, a good friend of her son Joe Bastianich (far right), revolutionized and changed Americans in their perception of Italian cuisine. Photo courtesy Lidia Bastianich "It all started in 1971 in Queens, New York" cooking in the United States. Her journey, nonetheless, to reach the American dream was not easy in the beginning. In our next issue Lidia discusses her arduous journey to America and what it meant living in a communist country and why her parents were desperate to leave Istria as ethnic Italians. Part two of Lidia Bastianich's story will be published in the edi- tion of January 26. Continued from page 2

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