Giada De Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis is a Food Network chef. Over the years, she has had her fair share of hardships in both her professional life and her personal life. She is the queen of Everyday Italian and has a genuine love for food. The Italian born, American bred girl was expected to go into film like the rest of her family, but food was always her passion. Here are some facts about Giada that you may not know.
The End Of Her Marriage
After 11 years of being married to fashion designer, Todd Thompson, the couple announced the end of the relationship on December 29, 2014. On September 3, 2015, they announced that they were legally separated. This made people come up with a lot of theories regarding their relationship. In the end, there were no hidden stories. They just wanted to work together to co-parent their daughter, Jade. When asked what caused the marriage to end, the couple remained tight-lipped.
Her Dream
Ever since Giada was in high school, she knew that she wanted to be a chef. Her parents were sure that she was too young to understand what she wanted out of life, but she knew that they were wrong. Rather than going into the family business, Giada enrolled at UCLA. She graduated in 1996 with a degree in Social Anthropology; she was sure that she was destined to be a chef.
Her Parents
In Rome, her mother, Veronica De Laurentiis, is a popular Italian actress. Her father, Alex De Benedetti, is an actor and producer. Her grandfather on her mother’s side is a famous film producer, Dino DeLaurentiis. He helped to popularize Italian cinema in the United States. Despite all of this family history in the entertainment business, Giada went her own way.
Bullying
Giada spent most of her early years in Italy. After her parents’ divorce in the ’70s, she moved to Southern California. The move and the change in culture were hard on her. When the family first moved to the U.S., she didn’t know any English. Because of this, the other kids bullied her. They called her Jabba the Hutt because Giada sounded similar to Jabba. The place where she felt happy and safe was at her grandfather’s restaurant, DDL Foodshow. This was where she discovered her love for cooking.
Unsure
Although she developed a passion for cooking with her grandfather, she wasn’t sure if culinary school was right for her. She thought of food as more than a hobby than a career prospect. Her family encouraged her to go to college, so she studied social anthropology, even though she wasn’t sure if it was a good fit. Finally, she nervously told her family about her dream of becoming a chef.
Pursuing Her Passion
After graduating from UCLA, Giada decided to go to culinary school. She applied for a highly coveted spot at Le Cordon Bleu. When she found out she was accepted, she was excited and terrified at the same time. Again, she would have to leave behind everything she knew to study in Paris. It wasn’t as easy as she hoped, and it wasn’t long before she started second-guessing her choice. She was so stressed out and worried that she lost 10 pounds from the stress and lack of sleep. He couldn’t speak the language, and she just wanted to quit cooking and go back home.
Back In LA
Giada stuck it out and finished culinary school. After graduating, she headed back to LA to try her hand as a chef. When she first moved back to the U.S., she found work in a few restaurants. It wasn’t long before she earned an excellent reputation in the culinary world. She was hired as a chef at Spago, which is owned by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. She loved to cook, but she wasn’t sure if it was for her. And she transitioned to working as a food stylist for magazines. Soon, she had a steady job working for Food & Wine Magazine. While working or the magazine, she caught the attention of the Food Network, and they gave her a series of her own called Everyday Italian.
Bobby Flay
As Everyday Italian took off, Giada was on everyone’s radar. She had the chance to appear on Behind the Bash, Pixie Hollow Bake Off alongside Bobby Flay. When the two competed on Iron Chef America, their friendship hit a rocky patch. Giada De Laurentiis opens up about Bobby Flay and admitted that she had to take a break from their friendship. When she and Bobby were partners on the show, and they lost, Giada was disappointed, and Bobby thought it was funny. She was very upset with him, and it would be months before the two would speak again.
Being a Celebrity Chef
Although she loves what she does, Giada says that being a celebrity chef can be stressful. Being recognized can be great, but she says that she would appreciate privacy from time to time. In the end; however, she is thankful for everything she has and is proud of all of her accomplishments.
