Lidia Bastianich Shares New Book "My American Dream"

Steve Adubato goes one-on-one with Lidia Bastianich, Author of “My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family and Food,” to hear about her life immigrating to America, growing up in NJ and NYC, the challenges of being a pioneer female restaurateur and the importance of her family.

4/3/18 #2124

 

 

 

 

Excerpt:

"Hi, I'm Steve Adubato. Welcome to the Tisch WNET Studio here in the heart of New York City, in Lincoln Center. Back by very popular demand, we have our great friend Lidia Bastianich, author of a fascinating new book called My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and, of course, Food. Food. [laughter] Welcome. We are honored. The PBS audience knows you, everyone knows you, but you've been a part of our PBS family for how many years? 18 years. And it's a pleasure. All those 18 years, and it's a pleasure being here Steve. Absolutely. This book, I mean, you were with us last time, we talked so much about your career. By the way, can we talk about what...? There are four restaurants in New York City? Right. They include? Lidia... Felidia, Del Posto, Becco, Esca, and then there's Lidia's Kansas City, and Lidia's Pittsburgh. The thing about you, I was just saying this before we got on the air, your career as a chef, as a restaurateur, as a television personality, as an... icon is what it is, well could you talk a little bit about how and where you grew up? Because I thought,"Well, she was born in Italy." Yes. My story is kind of a borderline story, if you will. I was born in Istria. It's a little peninsula. And... Istria? Istria. And now, it's part of Croatia. But that was Italy until World War II. World War II, Italy lost the war, and through the Paris Treaty, that part of Italy, Istria and some of Dalmatia was given to the newly formed Communist Yugoslavia. And we got caught... I was just born at that time, and we got caught behind the Iron Curtain in Communism. For two years? From ten to twelve, you were in a refugee camp? Yes. My parents decided, you know, when we were about ten... I was ten, my brother was thirteen, that they needed to get us to freedom, and go back to Italy. And ultimately, my mother, and my brother, and I, went to visit family that we had in Trieste, and my father escaped at night. They would not let the whole family go, because somebody had to be... remain as a hostage. He escaped, joined us in Trieste. And there, we awaited, you know... the goal for my parents was to come to America. And so, they put us in a political refugee camp, and we stayed there for two years. What year did you come to the States? 1958. You were a little girl at the time, what was your dream? My dream was, you know..."