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My American Dream
From the best-selling cookbook author, beloved and award-winning television personality, and hugely successful restaurateur--a heartwarming, emotional, revelatory memoir told with all her hallmark warmth and gusto. Lidia's story begins with her upbringing in Pula, a formerly Italian city turned Yugoslavian under Tito's communist regime.
Audio CD
Published January 1, 2018
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About the author
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
35 books172 followersLidia Matticchio Bastianich is an American chef, businesswoman and restaurateur.
Specializing in Italian and Croatian cuisine, she has been a regular contributor to the PBS cooking show lineup since 1998. In 2007, she launched her third TV series, Lidia's Italy. She also owns four Italian restaurants in the U.S. in partnership with her son, the winemaster and restaurateur, Joseph Bastianich: Felidia (founded with her ex-husband, Felice) and Becco in Manhattan; Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Lidia's Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.
Specializing in Italian and Croatian cuisine, she has been a regular contributor to the PBS cooking show lineup since 1998. In 2007, she launched her third TV series, Lidia's Italy. She also owns four Italian restaurants in the U.S. in partnership with her son, the winemaster and restaurateur, Joseph Bastianich: Felidia (founded with her ex-husband, Felice) and Becco in Manhattan; Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Lidia's Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
May 21, 2018
The early sections about her life in Pola and Trieste are fascinating and her writing about the food of Northern Italy interested me but eventually the writing gets pretty bogged down with cliches and the latter half of the book is kind of a glorified resume.
July 2, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars for her beyond incredible work ethic. Seriously, the years of her life from about 35 to 55 years of age- and the phenomenal levels of risk tolerance and endless 10 or 12 hour a day kitchen stints within fastest moving dynamics of management on top of it- they exhausted me just reading all the details.
The early life before emigrating from Pola and what became Croatia are interesting and her memories intense. Her Mother has quite a story too. She's 97 upon the publication.
This is what you do when you create such a multiple restaurant and food legacy empire. She name drops in the last sections of the book and is honest throughout. Her language usually quite declarative straight forward; identical as her speech-if you have ever watched her TV program. She just is nothing else by Lidia at any moment. With little pretense, sometimes a kind of jarring authority- and almost no deep heart revelations expressed either, apart from her intense parenthood and grandchildren loves which she mentions repeatedly. I found it interesting that for all those years her husband and herself returned to Italy for the summers, and her two children had experience in NY within Manhattan Jesuit Catholic schools. Everything else was all behind the restaurants or eventually in the Long Island place that they rehabbed.
Entrepreneurship is absolutely not for every one. She's just a dynamo. With patience on top of it. The two rarely go together.
I've only been to her son's restaurant Becco. I loved it. And wish they would have that format of 3 or 4 dishes served to tables directly from pans in many more establishments everywhere. Not just with Italian food either.
This is not a book to crack secrets or spill insider stuff. She covers her divorce after 33 years of marriage in about 2 pages. Less. Just the construction elements she took on in Manhattan to build her last large site restaurant would be enough to shred my nerves entirely.
Business woman par excellence! Brava!
The early life before emigrating from Pola and what became Croatia are interesting and her memories intense. Her Mother has quite a story too. She's 97 upon the publication.
This is what you do when you create such a multiple restaurant and food legacy empire. She name drops in the last sections of the book and is honest throughout. Her language usually quite declarative straight forward; identical as her speech-if you have ever watched her TV program. She just is nothing else by Lidia at any moment. With little pretense, sometimes a kind of jarring authority- and almost no deep heart revelations expressed either, apart from her intense parenthood and grandchildren loves which she mentions repeatedly. I found it interesting that for all those years her husband and herself returned to Italy for the summers, and her two children had experience in NY within Manhattan Jesuit Catholic schools. Everything else was all behind the restaurants or eventually in the Long Island place that they rehabbed.
Entrepreneurship is absolutely not for every one. She's just a dynamo. With patience on top of it. The two rarely go together.
I've only been to her son's restaurant Becco. I loved it. And wish they would have that format of 3 or 4 dishes served to tables directly from pans in many more establishments everywhere. Not just with Italian food either.
This is not a book to crack secrets or spill insider stuff. She covers her divorce after 33 years of marriage in about 2 pages. Less. Just the construction elements she took on in Manhattan to build her last large site restaurant would be enough to shred my nerves entirely.
Business woman par excellence! Brava!
March 4, 2019
3.4 stars
I listened to the audio version of MY AMERICAN DREAM:A LIFE OF LOVE, FAMILY, AND FOOD written and read by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. In this memoir Lidia tells about her family, her food, and her travels, and reveals the trauma and heartbreak, the excitement and adventure, and the love and joy, that have defined her life.
After two years in a refugee camp in
Trieste, Italy, her family immigrated to America and eventually settled in Queens, New York, where teenage Lidia got a job in a bakery, which led to her life in the food business, the first step toward the creation of her own American dream. And she tells in great, vivid detail the fulfillment of that dream: her close-knit family, her dedication and endless passion for food that ultimately leads to multiple restaurants, several cookbooks and twenty years on Public Television as the host of her own cooking show.
This book would probably be of interest to those who have watched Lidia's television shows, eaten at her restaurants, and/or cooked from her cookbooks.
3.4 stars
I listened to the audio version of MY AMERICAN DREAM:A LIFE OF LOVE, FAMILY, AND FOOD written and read by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. In this memoir Lidia tells about her family, her food, and her travels, and reveals the trauma and heartbreak, the excitement and adventure, and the love and joy, that have defined her life.
After two years in a refugee camp in
Trieste, Italy, her family immigrated to America and eventually settled in Queens, New York, where teenage Lidia got a job in a bakery, which led to her life in the food business, the first step toward the creation of her own American dream. And she tells in great, vivid detail the fulfillment of that dream: her close-knit family, her dedication and endless passion for food that ultimately leads to multiple restaurants, several cookbooks and twenty years on Public Television as the host of her own cooking show.
This book would probably be of interest to those who have watched Lidia's television shows, eaten at her restaurants, and/or cooked from her cookbooks.
3.4 stars
May 15, 2018
I've watched Lida on PBS and eaten at one of her (son's) NYC restaurants, Becco. I did not realize her personal story. I was surprised to hear that she was born in post WWII communist Yugoslavia. I picked this up to give to my mom for Mother's Day. Her parents have roots there with my grandfather immigrating from Montenegro and my grandmother's parents immigrating from Croatia. This autobiography is very much timely. Not only does is show the success of a strong hard working woman, but we see an immigrant bringing success to her life and her country. One part I like best about her story is the closeness of family, with her mom being her constant companion and her grandmother being her constant inspiration. I'm hoping my mom enjoys it as much as I did. The whole time I wondered how was this story similar, how was it different from my grand and great grand parents.
June 2, 2018
My husband could not have chosen a better Mother's Day gift for me than Lidia Bastianich's My American Dream. I've enjoyed many hours of her PBS cooking programs and have several of her cookbooks on our kitchen shelves. So I expected lots and lots of food insights from this most recent book. I did not get what I expected, and that is good! This book, as its title indicates, is about Lidia's life -- her earliest childhood in Pola on the Istrian peninsula, the annexation of Isaria by Yugoslavia's Tito, and their family's frightening escape to a refugee camp. When she was eleven, Lida and her family immigrated to the U.S. with all they owned in their suitcases. Their adjustment to life in New Jersey was difficult. But with help from Catholic Charities, their courage, resilience, work ethic, and faith guided them through a stunning list of changes. Food, clothing, standard of living, language -- all were different from what they had known in Italy. It is that powerful, brave approach to difficulties that is the heart of this book. I learned a lot about part of eastern Europe than I knew before. I learned about the family's adjustment to their new life in the U.S. I learned a bit about Italian food. But mostly, I learned about how regular people can face almost unbelievable danger and fear. I learned how refugees can adjust their lives to their new home, even when poverty and language difference and uncertainty dominate their lives. I've enjoyed Lidia's PBS programs for years, especially those that include her now 97-year-old mother. Now I know that her joie d' vive is real and deep. This is a terrific book. I recommend it highly!!!
June 2, 2018
The high rating for this book is not for the quality of the writing, which sometimes felt repetitive, but for the story itself, which is so inspiring. Lidia emigrated to the U.S. as a child, as a refugee from a communist country. Her story shows how a love of freedom, combined with passion, energy, and dedication can lead to success and fulfillment. And ... FOOD! If you're a foodie (or equate food with showing love), and especially if you've ever watched Lidia on PBS, I recommend reading this memoir.
"Food was like an umbilical cord, a connection to Grandma. It was something stronger than I was. Food was beginning to heal me, to keep me in balance. I found I could use food to do that for other people, too: I could provide them with a sense of comfort and love. When I became a mother, I tried to give my children the same security and comfort my grandmother gave me through food." pg. 117
"Preparing, cooking, and sharing food are fundamental ways to show love and care for others; when you share food, you share life. When I cooked first for Pope Benedict and then for Pope Francis during their visits to New York, I was paralyzed at the thought of being in their holy presence. But then something special happened that I could never have anticipated. When I cooked and served them my food, the food was the equalizer, a gift they accepted humbly and with gratefulness. In the sharing of the food that I had prepared, a closeness of spirit happened between us. I felt as if we were part of one family. I felt a tangible closeness to both Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, and one that cannot adequately be explained." pg. 317
"Food was like an umbilical cord, a connection to Grandma. It was something stronger than I was. Food was beginning to heal me, to keep me in balance. I found I could use food to do that for other people, too: I could provide them with a sense of comfort and love. When I became a mother, I tried to give my children the same security and comfort my grandmother gave me through food." pg. 117
"Preparing, cooking, and sharing food are fundamental ways to show love and care for others; when you share food, you share life. When I cooked first for Pope Benedict and then for Pope Francis during their visits to New York, I was paralyzed at the thought of being in their holy presence. But then something special happened that I could never have anticipated. When I cooked and served them my food, the food was the equalizer, a gift they accepted humbly and with gratefulness. In the sharing of the food that I had prepared, a closeness of spirit happened between us. I felt as if we were part of one family. I felt a tangible closeness to both Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, and one that cannot adequately be explained." pg. 317
May 3, 2018
3.5 stars. I truly enjoyed reading Lidia’s incredible life story! I also had the opportunity to hear her speak about the book, which endeared me to her more. Lidia is not a writer, however, and a lot of cliched language distracted from the story, which, I think, was longer than it needed to be. Her descriptions of food, however, are excellent.
March 2, 2020
Honestly so good. It was amazing to learn how much of a boss this lady is. It's thoughtful, honest, and pretty impressive. I listened to the audiobook and it's great to hear it in her calm voice and soft accent. It was super eye opening to learn the history of her life as an immigrant and refugee. Definitely recommend, though it is not a page turner or super compeling, but I do recommend.
March 21, 2018
My Favorite Restaurant’s Owner Details her Life’s Journey
MY AMERICAN DREAM
A Life of Love, Family, and Food
By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Read by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Audiobook Download | $22.50
Published PRHA Imprint: Random House Audio
Apr 03, 2018 | 772 Minutes | ISBN 9780525588757
I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions presented herein are my own except as noted.http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
You’ve probably seen Lidia Bastianich on TV but do you know how she got there? It sure wasn’t easy but it is a wonderful story of overcoming adverse situations, hard work, and success.
Whenever we go to NYC we have to eat at Felidia, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich’s amazing Italian restaurant, because the restaurant offers gluten-free, house-made, fresh pastas and the food, service and ambiance makes it my favorite restaurant in the world. I actually dream about their gluten-free pappardelle, a wide pasta noodle, with a sort of duck ragout sauce. I also love their GF pear and pecorino ravioli and their vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce) is a much lighter version of the traditionally calorie dense dish. We love the server who usually waits on us, and Pepe, the sweetest member of the staff who sang to me on my birthday.
My husband and I have also enjoyed some of her TV specials featuring the ways the American dinner table can honor food of so many traditions and where we learned of Ms. Bastianich’s family history and cultural heritage.
So, as you may imagine, as soon as I saw this book pop up in the PRHA offerings I jumped on it. Bastaianch write her memoir in a primarily linear time line with a few digressions, and telling it in her voice, still accented with her native Italian, offers a familiar and grounded feeling to the story. It offers an emotional component to the telling that had me either on the edge of my seat, or nearly in tears several times. Her phrasing is not quite American as she pauses in unusual places, but I did not mind as I normally would have, as I attribute it to the natural difference between the rhythms of her various languages. Seriously, I love this woman.
Lidia Bastianich was born in Istria, which was an Italian territory south of Trieste until it was made part of Yugoslavia after WWII. When Tito took power it became part of the Eastern block and the ethnically Italian families living there faced additional scrutiny because of their Italian heritage and family connections. Many fled before the borders closed, but Bastianich’s family, for a variety of reasons stayed on.
No one whose family emigrated in a diaspora, or while fleeing poverty, war, or political upheaval cannot help but listen with welling emotions as Bastianich recounts the love of family and place as well as the difficulties her family faced escaping Tito’s communist Yugoslavia, having to live in a refugee camp and finally receiving visas to come to the USA in the late 1950s. They came with only a few distant relatives they did not know living here, few possessions and even less money.
Bastianich details many of the difficulties her parents, educated and successful in Istria, faced arriving here without jobs, feeling distraught and uncertain. Her father had been arrested and jailed for thirty days on the suspicion of being a capitalist, had some of his equipment confiscated, and some ethnic Italian relatives “disappeared.”
Once in the USA, Bastianich’s father did not adapt as well as her mother did. She also details triumphs, joys, and her spiritual journey. Lidia and her brother had a great sense of family, and the importance of family. I often take these rosy memories of childhood in memoirs with skepticism — no one could ever be that good or unselfish, right? — and I understand the wish to portray one’s family in the best possible light, but the unstintingly positive and hard-working nature of the author testifies to in the success I know she has had. Thus, while the skepticism still lurks, perhaps it is that ability to see, recall and present memories positively, and with introspection, that make her so successful.
I imagine the strong roots she had in Istria, Italy and her family also played a huge part in her success. She doesn’t dwell on failure and is thrilled with her success. I do not believe she takes anything in her life or her work for granted.
This is a moving ode to the story of one family’s journey to and appreciation of this country and a great read/listen for yourself but also perfect for spring gifting. I plan to buy a copy for my mother.
I left the price in the description, above, because it is a very reasonable price point for an audiobook.
MY AMERICAN DREAM
A Life of Love, Family, and Food
By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Read by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Audiobook Download | $22.50
Published PRHA Imprint: Random House Audio
Apr 03, 2018 | 772 Minutes | ISBN 9780525588757
I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions presented herein are my own except as noted.http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
You’ve probably seen Lidia Bastianich on TV but do you know how she got there? It sure wasn’t easy but it is a wonderful story of overcoming adverse situations, hard work, and success.
Whenever we go to NYC we have to eat at Felidia, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich’s amazing Italian restaurant, because the restaurant offers gluten-free, house-made, fresh pastas and the food, service and ambiance makes it my favorite restaurant in the world. I actually dream about their gluten-free pappardelle, a wide pasta noodle, with a sort of duck ragout sauce. I also love their GF pear and pecorino ravioli and their vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce) is a much lighter version of the traditionally calorie dense dish. We love the server who usually waits on us, and Pepe, the sweetest member of the staff who sang to me on my birthday.
My husband and I have also enjoyed some of her TV specials featuring the ways the American dinner table can honor food of so many traditions and where we learned of Ms. Bastianich’s family history and cultural heritage.
So, as you may imagine, as soon as I saw this book pop up in the PRHA offerings I jumped on it. Bastaianch write her memoir in a primarily linear time line with a few digressions, and telling it in her voice, still accented with her native Italian, offers a familiar and grounded feeling to the story. It offers an emotional component to the telling that had me either on the edge of my seat, or nearly in tears several times. Her phrasing is not quite American as she pauses in unusual places, but I did not mind as I normally would have, as I attribute it to the natural difference between the rhythms of her various languages. Seriously, I love this woman.
Lidia Bastianich was born in Istria, which was an Italian territory south of Trieste until it was made part of Yugoslavia after WWII. When Tito took power it became part of the Eastern block and the ethnically Italian families living there faced additional scrutiny because of their Italian heritage and family connections. Many fled before the borders closed, but Bastianich’s family, for a variety of reasons stayed on.
No one whose family emigrated in a diaspora, or while fleeing poverty, war, or political upheaval cannot help but listen with welling emotions as Bastianich recounts the love of family and place as well as the difficulties her family faced escaping Tito’s communist Yugoslavia, having to live in a refugee camp and finally receiving visas to come to the USA in the late 1950s. They came with only a few distant relatives they did not know living here, few possessions and even less money.
Bastianich details many of the difficulties her parents, educated and successful in Istria, faced arriving here without jobs, feeling distraught and uncertain. Her father had been arrested and jailed for thirty days on the suspicion of being a capitalist, had some of his equipment confiscated, and some ethnic Italian relatives “disappeared.”
Once in the USA, Bastianich’s father did not adapt as well as her mother did. She also details triumphs, joys, and her spiritual journey. Lidia and her brother had a great sense of family, and the importance of family. I often take these rosy memories of childhood in memoirs with skepticism — no one could ever be that good or unselfish, right? — and I understand the wish to portray one’s family in the best possible light, but the unstintingly positive and hard-working nature of the author testifies to in the success I know she has had. Thus, while the skepticism still lurks, perhaps it is that ability to see, recall and present memories positively, and with introspection, that make her so successful.
I imagine the strong roots she had in Istria, Italy and her family also played a huge part in her success. She doesn’t dwell on failure and is thrilled with her success. I do not believe she takes anything in her life or her work for granted.
This is a moving ode to the story of one family’s journey to and appreciation of this country and a great read/listen for yourself but also perfect for spring gifting. I plan to buy a copy for my mother.
I left the price in the description, above, because it is a very reasonable price point for an audiobook.
April 30, 2018
A lovely immigrant story by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Starting in Istria in her home town of Busoler and Pola, under the reign of Communist dictator Tito, until current day with her world renowned success as a celebrity chef, cookbook author, and multiple restaurant owner.
I have long been a fan of Lidia's with my passion for Italian cuisine. I have several of her cookbooks and always watched her PBS shows. I knew quite a lot about her already by listening to her share her stories between recipes in the books and while demonstrating the recipes on her show. Love Nonna Erminia and it was so lovely to learn even more about her and Lidia's extended family in this wonderful book. Recommended reading for anyone interested in the courageous people that left their homelands at great risk, without someone to meet them at the other end in America, to begin again and make better lives for themselves and their families. Like so many of us whose ancestors have come from far off places like Lidia's, to be a part of the American Dream, to share our love and bounty, this is a beautiful legacy for those that will follow us.
I have long been a fan of Lidia's with my passion for Italian cuisine. I have several of her cookbooks and always watched her PBS shows. I knew quite a lot about her already by listening to her share her stories between recipes in the books and while demonstrating the recipes on her show. Love Nonna Erminia and it was so lovely to learn even more about her and Lidia's extended family in this wonderful book. Recommended reading for anyone interested in the courageous people that left their homelands at great risk, without someone to meet them at the other end in America, to begin again and make better lives for themselves and their families. Like so many of us whose ancestors have come from far off places like Lidia's, to be a part of the American Dream, to share our love and bounty, this is a beautiful legacy for those that will follow us.
February 16, 2019
I knew nothing about this author or her cookery shows and books. Chosen by our Book Club as our next read, I assumed it would be a book of recipes with stories. Wrong. This book doesn't contain one recipe, rather an amazing story about a family's arduous flight from their communist origins to finally America. Another novel about rising from humble origins to the top of her career ladder in spite of so many adversities.
I loved it! And now follow Lidia and watch her shows!!
I loved it! And now follow Lidia and watch her shows!!
June 7, 2020
Loved the first 80% of this story in the telling of Lidia’s life before she really became famous. For me the successful part was less riveting. Definitely a rags to riches story. Have to be honest that since I don’t cook, I didn’t know who she was before reading her book. The story sounded interesting and it had good ratings so that’s why I picked it up. If you’re a fan, you will probably love the book even more.
May 30, 2018
I bought this for my mother and read it after she went back to FL. i.e., it's not my usual type of book. I was absorbed the first 90% - her story of life in Northern Italy after WWII, escape to Trieste and immigration to the US, getting established in New York. The last 10% - after she became successful is less interesting.
January 23, 2019
I’m all in when she recalls her Istrian childhood. I can taste the figs and feel the Bora that I also recall from my time in Istria and Dalmatia. It comes apart for me as she revisits her time in NYC. I guess we know her because of her cookbooks, restaurants, and TV show but I think we love her for her homespun manner which gets lost in her recounting of famous people and such. Audiobook
June 17, 2019
Loved reading this book. It details Lydia’s life in Italy, the trials of living under communist rule after her part of Italy was annexed to Yugoslavia, her family’s escape from there and two years spent in a concentration camp in Italy. The parts that will touch your heart are her memories of her grandmother and her idyllic childhood in Italy before all of this trauma began.
As Lydia tells us about her life and love of family and food, we are taken on a tour of Italy’s regions with emphasis on the variety of foods in each, and the influences of other nations’ cuisine over the years she also describes her family’s story in America, and the development of their family restaurant enterprises.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable book, especially if you have a love of food and an Italian heritage.
As Lydia tells us about her life and love of family and food, we are taken on a tour of Italy’s regions with emphasis on the variety of foods in each, and the influences of other nations’ cuisine over the years she also describes her family’s story in America, and the development of their family restaurant enterprises.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable book, especially if you have a love of food and an Italian heritage.
August 1, 2018
This book is definitely one of my favorite and more memorable audiobooks from this summer. Lidia reads her own story so you can definitely hear it in her voice how events of her life affected her. I had no idea that her ethnic Italian family, as she describes them, fled Pula, Istria, in the republic of Yugoslavia (now Croatia) and lived in an Italian refugee camp for 2 years before emigrating to the U.S.! Her story is so compelling and interesting to me. If you have seen her on TV or cooked from one of her books, you will definitely enjoy listening to her tell her story.
July 16, 2024
I enjoyed this memoir very much. For anyone familiar with the Lidia’s Kitchen cooking show on PBS you will most likely know a little of her background but having the entire saga told here by the author made it especially heartwarming. I see complaints in some reviews that she turned the last half of the book into a commercial but I didn’t see it that way. She has been an incredibly successful chef, author, and television personality- why shouldn’t she talk about all of it? It is nice to hear that her children are carrying on the tradition and the companies she helped create. An inspiring story.
July 15, 2018
A little repetitive but a worthwhile read on the Italians who got caught behind the Iron Curtain in Yugoslavia. Lidia's warmth and ambition is a wonderful combination. Her descriptions left me hungry for her wonderful food as well as her familial wisdom.
July 23, 2018
Fascinating story of all this family did to escape communism and what made Lidia Bastianich the chef she is today.
November 12, 2018
Pleasant read about food, Yugoslavia, immigration, and Italy. I particularly enjoyed the early part of the book where she very lovingly learned about food from her grandmother.
Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia.
February 2, 2020
Very good book. Danny and I listened to it as we traveled on road trips and found that Lidia's childhood in Pula made our trip there even more interesting. Incredible life!
February 10, 2023
So thankful my husband’s aunt, whose grandparents were from Italy, recommended this book. Lidia’s commitment to her family heritage and inspiring immigrant journey filled with hardship and adventure have shaped her personal and worldly success. Lidia’s description of her Italian childhood in Istria (present day Croatia) is absolutely delightful.
February 28, 2021
I can't express enough what an amazing woman Lidia is. Everything she has, she put her blood sweat and tears into.
Her family is the most important thing in her life, but so is her faith, spirituality and her love for mankind. Parts of her story brought tears to my eyes.
Highly recommend this book.
Her family is the most important thing in her life, but so is her faith, spirituality and her love for mankind. Parts of her story brought tears to my eyes.
Highly recommend this book.
September 13, 2019
Very interesting book about an extremely accomplished woman. I especially liked her memories of Trieste since I have been there several times visiting relatives. Lidia writes in an easy to read yet very descriptive style.
April 26, 2019
very good read............
May 31, 2018
My daughter gave this book to me for Mother's Day, a very appropriate gift. With my life long interest and work experience in food and my first and second generation Croatian/Montenegrin heritage fleeing to the United States, I found a kinship with Lidia life trials and celebrations.
I am wondering if the refugee camp in Trieste, Risiera di San Sabba, is not the same where my Father was taken the last few months of WWII when he was tricked by British soldiers and captured by Germans into getting onto a train to take them to Austria to freedom, but instead ended up in the only camp in that area. He was fortunate to have been there only a couple of months. I have been to Trieste, but did not know where to look and now I do if I return for another trip.
I can feel the sorrow Lidia of who she left behind, the "not fitting in" and finding what your lifelong work should be and working hard for it. The connection with her family has the feel of my grandparents importance of being a strong part of each other life, supporting each other. I also had a father who found it difficult to communicate in the United States, but his good nature and building his neighborhood into his family is what saved him from complete sorrow of what he left behind.
Yes, food is a healer and Lidia has demonstrated it is not an easy road to take business wise. I celebrate her success and thank her for this book.
I am wondering if the refugee camp in Trieste, Risiera di San Sabba, is not the same where my Father was taken the last few months of WWII when he was tricked by British soldiers and captured by Germans into getting onto a train to take them to Austria to freedom, but instead ended up in the only camp in that area. He was fortunate to have been there only a couple of months. I have been to Trieste, but did not know where to look and now I do if I return for another trip.
I can feel the sorrow Lidia of who she left behind, the "not fitting in" and finding what your lifelong work should be and working hard for it. The connection with her family has the feel of my grandparents importance of being a strong part of each other life, supporting each other. I also had a father who found it difficult to communicate in the United States, but his good nature and building his neighborhood into his family is what saved him from complete sorrow of what he left behind.
Yes, food is a healer and Lidia has demonstrated it is not an easy road to take business wise. I celebrate her success and thank her for this book.
January 24, 2018
I am a huge fan of Lidia Bastianich and her authentic Italian Heritage and Cooking. At first in the beginning I was a little confused. I thought this was going to be another one of her cookbooks but I was so delighted to find out that this was her autobiography. It was so captivating to read all about Lidia and her life not only as a chef but as an immigrant from Italy and while achieving the American Dream, she still got an opportunity to stay within her roots. This is a great fit four our celebrity chef collection in Non-Fiction and a wonderful inspiring read. 5 stars!
May 31, 2018
Lidia describes all the adversity being born in an area that came under Communist rule, and the eventual exit her and her family made from there. Her subsequent interest in food preparation that occurred for her in her teen years. Very interesting life story!
March 29, 2023
I listened to this audio version with the author reading. An interesting perspective on the immigrant experience during a difficult time in history. The book reflects on the sense of place and importance of family. It gives her cookbook and recipes I have greater meaning and appreciation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews