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| Born | August 22, 1970 Rome, Italy |
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| Cooking style | Italian |
| Education | Le Cordon Bleu (Paris), UCLA |
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Television show(s)
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Giada Pamela De Laurentiis (IPA: [ˈdʒada de lauˈrentis]; 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, and Giada in Paradise. 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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Personal life
De Laurentiis was born Giada Pamela De Benedetti 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, just months before her birth.[2] After their parents' divorce, De Laurentiis and her siblings moved to Southern California, where Giada and her siblings took their mother's surname.[2]
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).
In 2003, she married Todd Thompson, a fashion designer for Anthropologie. The two had been dating since 1991. The couple's first child, Jade Marie De Laurentiis Thompson, was born on March 29, 2008.[3]
De Laurentiis was named number 96 on AskMen.com's list of "The Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2008."[4] De Laurentiis, dubbed as "a petite powerhouse" by Town & Country magazine, stands "just under five feet two." [5][6]
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 Food Network after styling a piece in Food & Wine Magazine in 2002.
Her cooking program, Everyday Italian, has been broadcast on 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, Food Network received emails accusing the network of hiring a model or actress pretending to cook instead of a real chef. [7]
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. Beginning in 2008, De Laurentiis will star in a new Food Network program entitled Giada at Home.[8]
De Laurentiis is a spokesperson for the pasta manufacturer Barilla. [9]
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. Her latest cookbook, Everyday Pasta, was released on April 3, 2007.
References
- ^ SAM-RAIMI-INTERVIEW-1987
- ^ a b Tullio Kezich and Alessandra Levantesi, "Dino: The Life and Films of Dino De Laurentiis", Miramax 2004, ISBN-10 078686902X
- ^ Jordan, Julie. "Giada De Laurentis Welcomes a Baby Girl!", People, March 30, 2008.
- ^ AskMen.com - Giada de Laurentiis Top 99 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". Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
- ^ Houck, Jeff (2008-05-20). "The Stew". Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
- ^ "About Giada De Laurentiis". GDL Foods, Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-07-23.
Further reading
- Haughton, Natalie (March 15, 2005). "A De Laurentiis production", Los Angeles Daily News.
- Meitus, Marty (March 28, 2005). "'Everyday Italian' star serves up showbiz, cooking instruction", Scripps Howard News Service.
External links
- Official site
- Food Network profile
- Giada De Laurentiis at the Internet Movie Database
- Escape with Giada De Laurentiis 2007 Life Magazine article
2006 commerical
Author: WufPower
Keywords: giada de laurentiis weekend getaways
Added: August 23, 2008
Seasons Eatings
Food Network holiday commercial, 2008
Author: WufPower
Keywords: food network giada de laurentiis paula deen rachael ray guy fieri alton brown bobby flay rankin bass homage
Added: August 23, 2008
Giada De Laurentiis montage
Various Giada De Laurentiis clips from 2006-7 meant for other blog projects on defunct blogs.
Author: WufPower
Keywords: giada de laurentiis everyday italian food network
Added: August 21, 2008
FN Crazy: Next Food Network...Losers?
So how come the fan favorite of Next Food Network Star, Kelsey Nixon, didn't win her own show? And what's this rumor of Giada De Laurentiis and Guy Fieri replacing Susie Fogelson and Bob Tuschman as judges next season?
Author: FNCrazyShow
Keywords: aaron-mccargo-jr bob-tuschman fn-crazy food-network kelsey-nixon next-food-network-star susie-fogelson
Added: August 21, 2008
Who I Want To Meet 2
More of who I'd like to meet. This time, "Ghostbusters" is playing in the background.
Author: PurpleRanger
Keywords: Celebrities Ghostbusters Iron Chef America Movies The Flash Wizards Basketball Giada De Laurentiis
Added: August 20, 2008