25 Years with Lidia: A Culinary Jubilee

Beloved chef Lidia Bastianich is celebrating 25 years on public television. With one of the longest running cooking shows on PBS, Lidia is also a life-long restaurateur and bestselling cookbook author. In honor of her silver anniversary, join Lidia’s family and celebrity friends to roll back the years and get an intimate look at the memorable moments of her life, both on and off the screen.

When and how did Lidia begin to love cooking? What was it like to be an immigrant in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, NY, in the late 1950’s, and early 1960s? Find out in this clip, as Lidia reminisces with one of her oldest friends about their formative teenage years. And Christopher Walken remembers a young Lidia who, at age 14, began working in his father's bakery?

As a young woman in New York, Lidia was curious about what Americans considered “Italian” food. One of her first dates with husband-to-be, Felice, was at the legendary Manhattan restaurant ‘Mamma Leone’s’. Watch as Lidia visits the NY Public Library to peruse the old menu. What were the plans for Buonavia, the first restaurant Lidia and Felice opened, and what did working there awaken in Lidia?

Lidia opens her restaurant, Felidia, providing a timeless Italian dining experience without any pretense. One of the few female chef-owners in Manhattan, at the time, Lidia created magic by serving up luxurious Italian food deeply ingrained with her own history. Hear what happened when Julia Child made a reservation, and learn how it catapulted Lidia into the world of culinary television.

On television, Lidia presented food as a family adventure, demonstrating how easily kids can be involved and enjoy cooking. Lidia’s two children and five grandchildren fell in love with food because of the joy Lidia brought to the kitchen. Watch her teaching her grandchildren to make gnocchi when they were little (and also as adults) and hear what they have to say about their famous grandmother.

Go behind the scenes with Lidia and her “work family”. See the playful side of Lidia as she embraces technology with a new selfie stick! Hear what it's like to work alongside Lidia from the people who collaborate with her on her cooking show and cookbooks. What is it about Lidia’s work ethic and her love for what she’s doing that make others want to give her their all?

One of the highlights of Lidia’s career, if not of her life, was cooking for both Pope Benedict and then later Pope Francis. Being Catholic it was, as her son Joe put it, “like … having dinner with Jimi Hendrix, Prince and Elvis Presley all at the same time.” Hear what she made for Pope Benedict and how the meeting went.

Lidia approached PBS about making Lidia Celebrates America, a show that encourages viewers to embrace different cultures through food. Visiting with families across the United States, she proves you can have a good time and eat well while you’re doing it! See how the show navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, and watch Lidia share some very special moments with her late mother.

To cap off 25 years of cooking on PBS, Lidia hosts a celebratory dinner. The guest list includes friends she feels have been instrumental to her life and career: Actor Christopher Walken and his wife Georgianne, Restaurateur Geoffrey Zakarian, Lidia’s first TV producer Geoffrey Drummond, Restaurateur Angelo Vivolo, and Chef Jacques Pépin. Hear these celebrity guests toast their dear friend Lidia.