Lidia Bastianich
taped at Felidia
New York NY
http://www.lidiasitaly.com
“Lidia Bastianich,” wrote Jay Jacobs in Gourmet magazine, “is wedded nunlike to her calling. As she talks of food and its preparation, it soon becomes obvious that for her the service of a meal is an act of love.”
Perhaps that is because the meals that Bastianich prepares are reminiscent of those cooked by her grandmother, who was her first cooking teacher. Or because Bastianich’s food pays tribute to her first home in Istria, a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. Once part of Italy, today Istria is part of Croatia. Recipes inspired by her grandmother and Istria are included in Bastianich’s La Cucina di Lidia, an autobiographical cookbook.
Felidia, which Bastianich owns with her husband Felice (thence the name, Felidia), is part of an enclave of excellent Italian restaurants in New York City. The appetizer offerings include Wild Mushroom Soup, Blood Orange Salad, Grilled Portobello with Truffles, and Mussels Triestina, among others. The main courses are divided into Pasta and Rice, and Fish and Meat, with earthy dishes like Risotto with Wild Mushrooms, Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, and Calf’s Liver with Balsamic Vinegar. Felidia has received honors for its food and its wine, including the Award for Excellence from the Wine Spectator.
Bastianich is more than a creator of wonderful meals. She is an educator, an editor, and an ambassador of Italian-Istrian cuisine. She has taught food anthropology as well as numerous cooking classes. Along with writing her own cookbook and contributing to others, Bastianich has edited “A Celebration of Life,” an annual insert on Italian food, wines, and lifestyle for the New York Times Magazine, and was featured in Time-Life’s 60 Minute Cookbook. From one restaurant she has built a family of restaurants — the original Felidia, Becco, Kansas City Lidia’s Italy and Pittsburg Lidia’s Italy. There are 26 programs in her TV series, Lidia’s Italy. Books and books (see them all on her website). And items for the kitchen, ingredients for the pantry, even gift ideas. She never stops.
Bastianich’s leadership and achievements have been honored by many. In 1990 she was the chair of Bon Appetit Taste of the Nation, a national benefit for Share Our Strength at Lincoln Center. She has been named Woman of the Year by NYU’s Center for Food and Hotel Management. She is one of the founding board members of the International Association of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, and a member of the prestigious Who’s Who of Cooking in America.
