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On Sunday afternoons, when we're getting slightly upset about the weekend coming to a close and not getting nearly enough done, we find solace in watching Lidia's Family Table on Channel 13. It is, by far, one of the best cooking shows, and that's because Lidia Bastianich is our secret Italian grandmother - and that's not just because she makes a mean beef short ribs braised in red wine. A good part of it is probably kitchen envy - she has a big, bright kitchen (she lives in Douglaston Manor, Queens) filled with all sorts of pots and pans and beautiful Italian dishware to plate the food - but Lidia has a very calm, soothing voice (no fingernails-on-chalkboard Rachael Ray screeching here) and demeanor that makes us believe everything will be all better. And when she talks about food bringing families together, you believe her, since she usually involves her family in the show - there are apperances by her restaurateur son Joe and grandchildren, but the best is when her 84 year old mother Erminia comes in to show Lidia how to cook something. It's just a lovely, escapist yet possibly attainable, hunger-inducing half hour on Sunday afternoons, and after watching one episode, if you're not inspired to cook something yourself, you'll probably be inspired to appreciate what you have more.
Lidia's Family Table is on at 5:30PM on Sunday afternoon on Channel 13. Her NYC restaurants are Felidia, Becco and Del Posto (with son Joe and Mario Batali), which Gothamist visited last month. Two excellent NY Times articles about Lidia, unfortunately both Times Select: a profile from 2001 and a story about her cookbook, Lidia's Family Table.
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This show is one of the many reasons why I love public television. While I forget to make comfort food on Sundays, I at least get this comfort television and eat my heart out over the food. The episode I saw last weekend had the chef at Felidia (whose name I forgot) helping Lidia and their interaction was really charming.
joe owns (or is a partner in) far more restaurants than the ones you've listed...
The restauranst I listed are Lidia's - I'll clarify!
that's great. except she's can't be your italian grandmother. she's not italian.
Her simple recipe for linguine with parsley, garlic and olive oil kept me alive through the recession.
My sister and her boyfriend record every episode. If she is your grandmother, Jen, we must be related!
That show is good. As is Jacques Pepin's. Both are very calmly presented, with nice food that's not overly fussy.
I'm interning on a new show that's being done for PBS (Chef's Story), airing Spring '07. Lidia was the guest on Monday and was just a lovely, lovely person. She's just as warm and genuine in person as she is on her show. Keep an eye out for her episode (and Jacques Pepin's as well!)
I think Lidia's show is one of the best on all of TV. When she was promoting her book, she appeared on a morning show, I think CBS. She should go to prime time at least once a week in addition to Sundays and reach out to a wider audience. I would like to see her aired before or after Martha Stewart. Their styles are differernt enough to air together. Her image would be a positve contribution to television. I've enjoyed all episodes of Cooking With Lidia, including those with her family members. Her son has a great restuarant in NYC. I have had their home made sausage. It is simply out of this world. Her son is also an expert in wines so I enjoy when he makes a sugestion as to what wine to eat with her prepared dish. Also, her grandchildren, two boys, are a nice addition to her cooking show. She is very enjoyable to watch on TV. I have also caught her culinary classes on PBS, very good shows.
Lidia and Joe must be millionaires a bunch of times over, but I really admire Lidia's approach to cooking. I find her recipes more accessible than most TV chefs. I can easily reproduce her dishes for my own family without having to buy hard-to-locate ingredients. Search her website or her books for her summer rice salads...they can be prepared in less than a half hour and will make your guests very happy, particularly if served with a chilled New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
She is Italian. Bastianich is her married name.
I guess anonym0000s is referring to the fact that Lidia was born in Istria the same year it was given over to Croatia and spent the first 11 years of her life there, but left with her parents after it became part of Yugoslavia. No matter, she will always be my Italian grandmother.