The Indigenous Cuisine of a James Beard Chef

Lidia Celebrates America: Changemakers, follows Lidia across America as meeting chefs, farmers, and entrepreneurs hard at work trying to change, not only what’s available, but the way Americans think about food in the future. “It’s also critical to remember the energy and water it takes to grow, transport and package the foods we eat”, says Lidia, “We all have the ability to be Changemakers”.

To accompany her latest special, Lidia also hosts a series of short cooking videos. Each reflects her beloved teaching style, mixed with a dash of storytelling. Today Lidia is in her kitchen making Mussels Triestina, a simple ten-minute dish that brings up memories of her childhood. Find out Lidia’s tricks of the trade for cooking mussels, things that give the dish her signature style.

Chef and Italian immigrant Lidia Bastianich shares stories of first, second and third-generation Americans shaping the shifting definition of what it means to be an American. As America grows more diverse than ever before, immigrants must figure out how much of their culture to keep and what to leave behind, and many are more openly sharing their heritage with a new country they now call home.