Giada De Laurentiis' Incredible Transformation Is Drawing Attention From Across The Globe
Giada De Laurentiis is a household name celebrity chef, though she never set out to be. Cooking for millions wasn't the future she envisioned. But the Italian-born chef deviated from everyone's expectations by chasing her dream in the world of professional cooking. Despite a few scandals, she's remained a Food Network staple for nearly 20 years, leaving many wondering what key ingredients she's used to keep the audiences wanting more.
Big Name
Name a Food Network show, Giada De Laurentiis has probably appeared on it, if not hosted it herself. She was one of the network's first famous personalities, showcasing her authentic Italian family recipes, battling her pal Bobby Flay, and mentoring other future tv food stars. All of her work stems from her love of cooking, deeply engrained in her upbringing, along with some conflicting traditional values.
Italian Upbringing
Giada De Laurentiis specializes in Italian cuisine and is actually from Italy, so you can't say her recipes aren't authentic. Born in Rome, she lived there until age seven when her family moved to America. Even in their new home of Southern California, they maintained strong culturally Italian values and lifestyles. Adjusting posed challenges, but the De Laurentiis family was fortunate.
Cinema Royalty
The De Laurentiis family, particularly Giada's grandparents, were Italian cinema royalty. Dino De Laurentiis was a prominent producer with 38 Academy Award-nominated films. His wife Silvana Magano was an actress from the '50s-'70s. Then, there was their daughter Veronica, Giada's mother, an actress also. Given her cinematic roots, it would have made sense for Giada to pursue showbiz, but she didn't. Not at first.
Giada Chose Food
Giada leaned away from the cinematic side of the family business. Instead, she gravitated toward another family venture — the restaurant industry. While Dino DeLaurentiis owned a restaurant that fascinated his young granddaughter, the prospect of her becoming a chef went against what women in their family traditionally did. But her family's opinions couldn't squash Giada's drive.
