# Giada De Laurentiis
**Giada De Laurentiis** (born Giada Pamela De Benedetti, 1970) is an Italian-American chef, television personality, cookbook author, and restaurateur known for hosting [Food Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/food-network) programs including *Everyday Italian* and *Giada at Home*, for her nine New York Times bestselling cookbooks, and for restaurants in Las Vegas, Baltimore, and the Phoenix area.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) • [2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Rome, Italy, 1970; birth name Giada Pamela De Benedetti; granddaughter of film producer Dino De Laurentiis and actress Silvana Mangano[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) |
| Training | Degree in social anthropology from UCLA, then Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where she intended to become a pastry chef[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) |
| Career start | Worked as a chef at Los Angeles restaurants including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, then as a food stylist, which led to Food Network[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) |
| Signature shows | *Everyday Italian* (her first kitchen show), *Giada at Home* (2008–2015), *Giada's Weekend Getaways*, *Giada in Paradise*, *Giada in Italy*, and judging on *Food Network Star* and *Winner Cake All*[2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about) |
| Emmy | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host for *Everyday Italian*[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) |
| Books and platform | Nine New York Times bestselling cookbooks, including *Giada's Italy*, plus the children's series *Recipe for Adventure* and the website Giadzy.com, launched 2017[2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about) |
| Restaurants | GIADA (opened 2014 at The Cromwell, Las Vegas), Pronto by Giada (Las Vegas), GDL Italian (Baltimore), Luna by Giada (Scottsdale), and Sorella by Giada (planned for Hollywood Casino Aurora, Illinois)[3](https://www.intervalworld.com/iimedia/magazine/ii/iwna2018no1/files/assets/common/downloads/test.pdf) • [2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about) • [4](https://pennnationalgaming.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/penn-entertainment-partners-celebrity-chef-and-entrepreneur) |
## Early life and training
De Laurentiis was born in Rome, Italy, and moved to the United States at the age of 7, settling with her family in Los Angeles.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) • [5](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/giada-de-laurentiis) She grew up in a food-minded family; her grandfather, the film producer [Dino De Laurentiis](https://www.edgepedia.org/dino-de-laurentiis), owned a specialty foods shop.[6](https://www.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/food-network-star/2013/05/the-early-days-of-stardom-giada-de-laurentiis) Food Network's own account of her early years states that she never intended to enter the culinary industry and earned a degree in anthropology first.[6](https://www.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/food-network-star/2013/05/the-early-days-of-stardom-giada-de-laurentiis)
**Culinary education.** After studying social anthropology at UCLA, she enrolled at [Le Cordon Bleu](https://www.edgepedia.org/le-cordon-bleu) in Paris with the intention of becoming a pastry chef.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) After graduating, she worked as a chef at several Los Angeles restaurants, including [Wolfgang Puck](https://www.edgepedia.org/wolfgang-puck)'s Spago.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) • [7](https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/into-the-fire-giada-de-laurentiis-on-her-las-vegas-gamble-and-how-she-came-out-smokin) She then founded her own catering company in Los Angeles before television work began.[6](https://www.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/food-network-star/2013/05/the-early-days-of-stardom-giada-de-laurentiis)
## The path to television
De Laurentiis was working as a food stylist, arranging settings for media shoots, when a Food Network executive read a *Food & Wine* magazine article about her and the De Laurentiis family's food traditions; the article had grown out of a food-styling job for the magazine, and she submitted her own version almost a year later.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) • [8](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1446659/giada-de-laurentiis-food-career-origin/) • [9](https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7969954-food-network-star-season-13/docs/giada-de-laurentiis-bio-1650153713.pdf) That article is generally credited as her big break and the path to her television debut.[8](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1446659/giada-de-laurentiis-food-career-origin/)
Sources place the premiere of *Everyday Italian* differently: TV Insider and its credits listings date the show to 2003, while Food Network's retrospective says it premiered in 2005 and ran for nearly three years.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) • [6](https://www.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/food-network-star/2013/05/the-early-days-of-stardom-giada-de-laurentiis) On the show she shared updated versions of old family recipes, emphasizing quick, fresh meals for weeknights, small dinners, or entertaining.[10](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/shows) Food Network's account describes her approach as fusing California-cool cuisine with the authentic Italian meals of her childhood, giving viewers a family-friendly introduction to Italian food beyond the familiar standbys.[6](https://www.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/food-network-star/2013/05/the-early-days-of-stardom-giada-de-laurentiis)
## Television career
Two decades on Food Network produced a long run of series. After *Everyday Italian* came *Behind the Bash*, which examined the behind-the-scenes preparation of large catered events; *Giada's Weekend Getaways*; *Giada in Paradise*; *Giada at Home*, in which she cooked and entertained California-style; *Giada in Italy*, which returned her to the land of her birth for an extended stay with family and friends; *Giada's Holiday Handbook*; *Giada Entertains*; and *Giada On The Beach*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) • [2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about) • [10](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/shows) • [11](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/de-laurentiis-giada-1971)
**Competition shows and Today.** She first appeared as a judge on *The Next Food Network Star* in 2005 per TV Insider's credits (her own site dates her judging role on the long-running series, hosted with [Bobby Flay](https://www.edgepedia.org/bobby-flay), to later seasons), and she later hosted the cake-competition show *Winner Cake All*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) • [10](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/shows) • [2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about) She has also been a recurring contributor on NBC's *Today*, where she highlights trends in travel, cuisine, and lifestyle.[2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about) • [10](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/shows) In 2008 she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host for her work on *Everyday Italian*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) Later credits include hosting *Simply Giada* in 2022, a Brooklyn-set series built around her cookbook *Eat Better, Feel Better*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) • [12](https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/simply-giada)
**Leaving Food Network.** In February 2023 it was reported that she was leaving Food Network after 20 years and joining Amazon Studios; she later said she had been fearful to leave.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/) A 2025 magazine profile described her at 52 as an Emmy award-winning TV personality, New York Times bestselling author, restaurateur, and mother making the move to a new partnership with Amazon Studios.[13](https://view.ceros.com/she-media/giada-delorentiis-cover-story)
## Cookbooks and digital business
De Laurentiis is the author of nine New York Times bestselling cookbooks, including her most recent, *Giada's Italy*, and of the children's book series *Recipe for Adventure*.[2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about) Her first book, *Everyday Italian*, was received as a good primer on Italian-American cooking written for busy people who want fresh Italian food without heavy prep.[14](https://www.cornercooks.com/archives/2005/12/giada_de_lauren_1.html) Her lemon spaghetti, first published in that 2005 cookbook and popularized on the show, has been analyzed as a signature recipe of her Italian-American style.[15](https://glassandnote.com/wine/giada-de-laurentiis-lemon-spaghetti)
In 2017 she launched the lifestyle and e-commerce platform Giadzy.com, which showcases recipes, entertaining and travel tips, videos, and kitchen products.[2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about) Her packaged products have also performed well in independent testing: [Consumer Reports](https://www.edgepedia.org/consumer-reports)' 2011 tests of 26 celebrity foods rated only three as Excellent, one of which was her Tomato Basil pasta sauce, sold at Target for $3.00 and named a CR Best Buy.[16](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2011/09/08/consumer-reports-tests-of-celebrity-products-reveal-that-a-famous-name-is-no-guarantee-of-a-starring-role/)
## Restaurants
De Laurentiis opened her first restaurant, **Giada**, inside The Cromwell hotel in Las Vegas in 2014, with classics such as her chicken cacciatore and rigatoni with vegetable Bolognese on the menu.[3](https://www.intervalworld.com/iimedia/magazine/ii/iwna2018no1/files/assets/common/downloads/test.pdf) She now runs GIADA and Pronto by Giada in Las Vegas and GDL Italian in Baltimore.[2](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about) In a 2018 Eater interview she described the pressure of Las Vegas dining critically, recalling that a New York Times review by Pete Wells, published a month after opening, left her in tears for two days, and explaining that she opens restaurants only in that casino because of it.[17](https://www.eater.com/2018/4/18/17246924/giada-de-laurentiis-interview)
**Expansion beyond Las Vegas.** In March 2025, PENN Entertainment announced a partnership with her to open upscale restaurants at its new land-based Hollywood Casino sites in Aurora and [Joliet, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/joliet-illinois), with Sorella by Giada expected at Aurora in the first half of 2026.[4](https://pennnationalgaming.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/penn-entertainment-partners-celebrity-chef-and-entrepreneur) In Scottsdale, Arizona, she opened Luna by Giada inside Caesars Republic Scottsdale, blending her Roman heritage with California influences.[18](https://www.forkingscottsdale.com/p/la-zozzona-vs-luna-by-giada-scottsdale)
## Public profile and Italian-American cooking
De Laurentiis's brand rests on her Italian heritage and her family's food traditions, which she has made a major part of her culinary point of view throughout her career.[10](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/shows) Scholarship on Italian-American foodways on television notes that she built her culinary standing on recipes framed as inherited from her family rather than on her professional training, cooking in a domestic kitchen for friends and family on her shows, in contrast to an older era when Italianate food in the United States carried the stigma of budget, domestic cooking.[19](https://calandrainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IAR_5.2.pdf) The same scholarly discussion records that she has been criticized for speaking in an apparent faux Italian accent on air.[20](https://openurl.ebsco.com/contentitem/gcd%3A120849440) She herself has said she spent her whole career fighting against stereotypes.[17](https://www.eater.com/2018/4/18/17246924/giada-de-laurentiis-interview)
## References
1. [Giada De Laurentiis – Restaurateur, Chef, Personality, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/giada-de-laurentiis/)
2. [About | Giada de Laurentiis, official site](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/about)
3. ["As Seen on TV," Interval World magazine](https://www.intervalworld.com/iimedia/magazine/ii/iwna2018no1/files/assets/common/downloads/test.pdf)
4. [PENN Entertainment Partners with Giada De Laurentiis, PENN Entertainment press release, March 12, 2025](https://pennnationalgaming.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/penn-entertainment-partners-celebrity-chef-and-entrepreneur)
5. [Giada De Laurentiis – Daughter, Age & Father, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/giada-de-laurentiis)
6. [The Early Days of Stardom — Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network](https://www.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/food-network-star/2013/05/the-early-days-of-stardom-giada-de-laurentiis)
7. [Into the Fire: Giada De Laurentiis on Her Las Vegas Gamble, James Beard Foundation](https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/into-the-fire-giada-de-laurentiis-on-her-las-vegas-gamble-and-how-she-came-out-smokin)
8. [How Giada De Laurentiis Got Her Big Break In The Food Industry, Food Republic](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1446659/giada-de-laurentiis-food-career-origin/)
9. [Giada De Laurentiis bio, Food Network (MultiVu)](https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7969954-food-network-star-season-13/docs/giada-de-laurentiis-bio-1650153713.pdf)
10. [Shows | Giada de Laurentiis, official site](https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/shows)
11. [De Laurentiis, Giada 1971-, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/de-laurentiis-giada-1971)
12. [Simply Giada, Food Network](https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/simply-giada)
13. [Giada De Laurentiis Cover Story, SheMedia/Ceros](https://view.ceros.com/she-media/giada-delorentiis-cover-story)
14. [The Cookbook Critic: Giada De Laurentiis: Everyday Italian, Corner Cooks](https://www.cornercooks.com/archives/2005/12/giada_de_lauren_1.html)
15. [Giada De Laurentiis' Lemon Spaghetti, Glass & Note](https://glassandnote.com/wine/giada-de-laurentiis-lemon-spaghetti)
16. [Consumer Reports' Tests of Celebrity Products, Clarksville Online](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2011/09/08/consumer-reports-tests-of-celebrity-products-reveal-that-a-famous-name-is-no-guarantee-of-a-starring-role/)
17. [Why Giada De Laurentiis' Vegas Success Is So Important to Her, Eater](https://www.eater.com/2018/4/18/17246924/giada-de-laurentiis-interview)
18. [La Zozzona vs. Luna by Giada, Forking Scottsdale](https://www.forkingscottsdale.com/p/la-zozzona-vs-luna-by-giada-scottsdale)
19. [Cucina Nostra: Italian American Foodways on Television, Italian American Review (Calandra Institute)](https://calandrainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IAR_5.2.pdf)
20. [Cucina Nostra: Italian American Foodways on Television, EBSCOhost record](https://openurl.ebsco.com/contentitem/gcd%3A120849440)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Restaurants, chefs, and culinary practice › Chefs, culinary professions, and hospitality › Television and celebrity chefs › American television chefs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license