All language subtitles for 25.Years.with.Lidia.A.Culinary.Jubilee.2023.1080p.WEB.h264-BAE

LIDIA: Pasta, pasta, pasta.

NARRATOR: She's a familiar
face to millions of Americans.

Please welcome Lidia!

LIDIA: I want to invite
you...

Lidia's like Madonna.

You don't have to say her
last name.

Action!

NARRATOR:
An icon of Italian food.

Lidia became queen mom

of authentic Italian cooking.

LIDIA: Big flavors here.

13 best-selling cookbooks,

several restaurants, her own
line of pastas and sauces.

NARRATOR: For 25 years,
she's encouraged Americans

to gather together
around the table...

I don't think there's
anything that makes her happier

than seeing people enjoy food.

(laughter)

NARRATOR: ...shared stories
of fellow immigrants

and refugees.

She's been the voice

for so many of us that had

that kind of background,
that kind of experience.

NARRATOR: And paved the way

for women in the restaurant
industry.

Back in the late '70s,

people thought we were
housewives having fun,

and not really
serious about our craft.

(cheers)

A lot of people tell me that

watching her growing up,

it's having her as their
grandma.

And I'm like, "No, no, no,
that's my grandma."

And the Emmy goes to...
Lidia Bastianich!

(cheers and applause)

LIDIA: Salute!

NARRATOR: Join us

as we celebrate
25 years of Lidia.

LIDIA: So, as we say in my
house,

Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

♪ ♪

(birds chirping)

♪ ♪

(indistinct chatter)

Okay, I think we're...

♪ ♪

Whoa.

(indistinct chatter)

People always ask, like,

"Oh, what's Lidia really like?"

She's exactly who you see on
TV.

We are set!

If you don't know Lidia,

you will know her through
her food.

She's straightforward, honest

and someone who wants
to teach you something.

Lidia comes across

as the Italian grandmother.

Italian grandmothers are tough.

LIDIA: What do you think,
it needs ironing?

Does it look like
it needs ironing?

She's kind of, like,
a bit of a badass

when it comes to business
things.

She's not willing
to take (muted) from people.

Very demanding,
exacting in her expectation.

LIDIA: Roll up your sleeves.
Get in the kitchen.

She is true and honest
but she has no problem

being funny and, like, human.

Close your legs, chicken.

That's what Grandma would
say.

(laughs)

She immigrated here as a
young kid.

LIDIA:
Get ready for the open.

She is the quintessential
New York story.

Have fun!

♪ ♪

LIDIA: I've been fortunate
to call New York my home

for most of my life.

It's such a unique
and inspiring place.

The skyline, the shows, music,
and, of course, the food.

But my story,

like many New Yorkers,
began far away.

♪ ♪

For generations, my family lived
on the Istrian Peninsula,

a northeastern region of Italy.

The year I was born,
Istria was given

to the newly formed
Communist Yugoslavia,

part of the price Italy
paid for losing the war.

There was an exodus

of Italians that went back
into Italy,

literally carrying their goods

on their shoulders
or on their carts.

They even dug out the bones

of their family members that
were dead to take them

and to rebury them in Italy.

My parents chose to stay.

As an infant and growing
into a young child,

that period, you know,
was very comfortable

with the affection
of Grandma, Grandpa.

That was quite a warm place.

But the weight on my parents
in not being able

to give us the education,

not being able to speak to us
in Italian,

not being able
of taking us to church.

My father, who was a mechanic,

was incarcerated because
he was deemed a capitalist.

My mother, being a teacher,

was forced
to join the Communist Party.

That culminated in my parents

in the decision to move on
in order for their children,

for me and my brother,
to give us freedom.

We fled back to Italy,

where we became refugees
in our own country.

We were housed in a
former concentration camp.

(door creaks)

♪ ♪

This certainly brings back a lot
of memories, emotions.

Two years we spent
as a family in this camp.

♪ ♪

And the window was right there.

That's the window
that we looked out of.

And we had two bunk beds,
one for my mother and my father,

one for me and my brother.

♪ ♪

I remember endless nights
in bed,

rethinking my existence,
my life, my growing up

with Grandma, and will I ever
see that again?

♪ ♪

I was in this strange place
in my own country.

It had a history

of sadness and melancholy,
if you will.

After two years,

my family was granted refugee
status in the United States.

♪ ♪

The Catholic Charities were
responsible for welcoming us

when we came to America.

We lived in New Jersey briefly

before settling in the
Astoria neighborhood of Queens.

So we came here

in 1958.

And then, you know,
I had my cousin Luigi.

He found out we were here,

and he said, "Oh, you've gotta
come live close to us."

He found an apartment
right next to him.

Lidia and I have similar
backgrounds.

I was born during the war
and all.

LIDIA: 3215.

We had experiences that,

not so much of travail,
I would say,

but certainly
experiences that were unusual,

and could not be even discussed
with your school friends.

They would
never have understood.

LIDIA: Still is the same.

A bit of
paint makes a difference.

LIDIA: Uh-huh.

We were here for about
ten... eight, ten years.

Was it? LIDIA: This was
the courtyard.

I remember the, the...

it's better kept now
than it was before.

So you see right up there, the
big window, the fourth floor.

That was the bathroom,
that was our living room.

The affinity that we found

is that we spoke the same
language.

We had a similar story.
We had the same rules.

Our parents wanted
the same things from us.

We didn't have time to play

because our
parents went to work,

and we were responsible
for what happened in the house.

We cleaned--
we didn't have time.

And when I wanted
to sit on the stoop,

like all the other kids
were doing.

(speaking Italian):

Il treno.
LIDIA: Listen to the train!

My bedroom was facing the train,

and, you know, you get kind of
used to the noise.

♪ ♪

My mother would come home late,

sometimes work overtime
to make more money.

And I was kind of in charge
of cooking for the family.

And it felt good.

It felt good because I was
doing something that

I recall Grandma did.

It's a way of nurturing
the family.

It's a way of
taking care of the family.

The aromas,
the taste of those foods

brought me
back to that special place.

And I began to love cooking
because

I didn't know, I didn't realize,

but it was taking me
to a safe place.

Got to know Astoria,
got to meet you

and a lot of our paisanos
right here.

Our tribe.

We look for who speaks our
language, who looks like us,

who eats like us.

We have to sustain each other

when we first arrive as
immigrants.

♪ ♪

LIDIA: So many years
of our lives,

especially on Saturdays,
Sundays, we used to come here.

The boys would play soccer,
the game.

Yeah, yeah.
LIDIA: Right.

We would play with each other,
chase or whatever,

go to the pool.

That was one of our favorite.

That was highlights of
our week-- walk on the bridge.

LIDIA: Right,
just saw the river come by.

Watch the boats go by.

Wow, look at this.

LIDIA: Yeah, you see the
ducks?

Pigeons and geese.

Everyone gets along together.

LIDIA: They made their home
here in Astoria Park.

Coming here as immigrants,

it was a very welcoming place.

It was our first home

away from home.

When we first arrived,
we were also immigrants.

My mother tells us,
(speaks Italian),

we're gonna move to the country

because it was filled with
trees, it was green,

and there was a gentleness
about Astoria.

A very much
a welcoming gentleness about...

the whole neighborhood
was great.

And then eventually
also became

a setting for budding romances.

For the first kisses.

LIDIA: This was lovers lane.

I mean that was part
of our growth, you know,

when you start exploring that
part of life,

then you're growing into
who you going to become,

as a person, as a...
LIDIA: Mm-hm.

From children to adults.
Yeah.

♪ ♪

LIDIA: I met youngsters
that were like me,

so it was a comfort zone.

In Astoria at that time,

you go down the street and, and
you'd hear different languages.

You'd go to somebody's house

and eat food
that you hadn't had before,

and listening to people speak
Greek, German, Italian.

LIDIA: Wait, wait, wait--
right here.

Do you see Broadway Hardware?

Yeah.

LIDIA: So that
was Walken's Bakery.

And that's where I began
to work as a 14 year old

on Friday nights,
Saturdays, you remember that.

Walken's was
the best bakery at the time.

♪ ♪

My father had a bakery

in Astoria,

and Lidia, as a teenager,
worked there.

So I've known Lidia all my life.

LIDIA: They did beautiful
wedding cakes, birthday cakes.

The decoration, you know,
this is where I learned it.

(voiceover): I used to make the
boxes first, get the bags up,

whatever they needed.

And slowly I got into,
into the baking.

There were half a dozen
bakers

and they worked in the back.

And then there were
maybe half a dozen ladies

and they had
outfits with headpieces.

LIDIA: I talked my mother
into applying

to be one of the sales ladies.

She ended up loving it.

You know, still friends
with Christopher Walken.

Christopher, yeah.

LIDIA: Still see him now
and then.

When I knew her,
I didn't know she could cook.

Who would've imagined

what Lidia did-- you know,
this amazing life and career.

♪ ♪

♪ Hey Mamma,
Leone's looks so great ♪

♪ Hey Mamma,
for your Carnivale date ♪

LIDIA: As I got older

and started eating out
in restaurants,

I was surprised by what
Americans considered

Italian food.

Big meatballs,
with lots of sauce.

A lot of spaghetti.
Eggplant parmigiana.

But I was taken aback and
curious; what is this cuisine

that's called Italian,

but in Italy it's not cooked,
it's different?

To celebrate, to celebrate...

LIDIA: One of my first dates
with Felice,

my husband-to-be,

was at the legendary
Mamma Leone's in Manhattan.

♪ Hey Mamma... ♪

LIDIA: The New York Public
Library

has a special collection
of hundreds of menus

from important Manhattan
restaurants,

including Mamma Leone's.

(on camera):
They had a great menu.

All sort
of Italian-American dishes.

They were a little different for
me, but I loved them.

The baked clams,

the pasta, the manicotti,
eggplant parmigiana,

lasagna, il casalinga.
Oh, my God.

And, of course,
the desserts--

the gelati, the fruits,
the tortoni cheesecake.

The best kitchen is when
there's a mama in the kitchen.

That's what I say.

Wow, look at all these people.

Jimmy Durante. Wow.

They signed the menu.

Ed Sullivan.

You know, I used to watch Ed
Sullivan as a young immigrant.

You know, I first saw
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan,

and I thought
that was fantastic.

It's a lot of popular people
and famous people.

And then little Lidia was there.

(accordion music playing)

Felice and I were both
from Istria.

We married and welcomed

our first child, Joe.

The food connected me and
Felice.

He always wanted
to open his own restaurant.

And in 1971,

this little restaurant he had
found, and I said, "Okay,

let's open it,
and I will do my part and help."

♪ ♪

It was a small place,
nine tables.

Mamma Leone's was popular,

so we were going to do just
about the same thing

or close to it.

Yeah, I remember,
I remember making these menus.

Shrimp scampi was real popular.

Oyster Rockefeller,

that's not really Italian, but
it was popular, I put it in.

If you wanted customers,

that's what they expected

when they went to an Italian
restaurant.

So they actually hired a chef,

and my mother mainly stayed in
the kitchen

and learned from him.

LIDIA: We hired a chef
because I wasn't a chef,

but we both got really involved.

It was my husband's dream
to open the restaurant,

not mine, but I guess underlying

was that element of
food and nurturing and feeding,

and remembering as a child
the growth of products,

the harvesting--
it all kind of

reawakened that,
I mean, I said, "Oh yeah,

I can do that. I love it."

And then I really
threw myself head in.

♪ ♪

Buonavia was a big success.

We had our second child,
Tanya,

and opened our second
restaurant, Villa Secondo.

Here I am,
the opening of Villa Secondo.

I hold the door open,
welcoming everybody in.

Growing up in the
restaurants

was an interesting world.

My grandmother was
kind of like my de facto mother,

because my mother
worked in the restaurant.

LIDIA: My restaurants were
an extension of my home.

My mother worked in there.

The kids came in, did their
homework, then they went home.

They was my baby.

I was rolling on the floor
with them,

playing under the bed, hiding,

and anything what the
children desire, I did for them.

LIDIA: So you had
a good time?

Very, very nice time,
and I learned a lot from them

and they learned a lot from me.

LIDIA: So it was all about
family together,

helping each other
and making things happen.

I took on more of the
chef duties as we grew.

I would sometimes do trials
in the kitchen

with the chef doing his thing.

I would bring people
little plates to taste.

"What do you think about this?"
I wanted to learn

and wanted to relate
to the American palate.

People loved it
and ultimately says,

"Lidia, you belong in Manhattan.

♪ ♪

You need to bring this
to Manhattan."

And we were going to hit the
big city, New York,

58th Street
between Second and Third.

She was young,

in her 30s, doing this.

It was a really big deal
for a woman to be doing this,

first of all, but anybody,

it was very, very risky.

For Lidia to put
all of her eggs in one basket

and take that leap

to open Felidia,

that took a lot of courage.

I don't think I would've had

the balls to do that.

LIDIA: All the money that we
had made

from selling the two places
went and was used up.

So I went to the bank

and they said,

"Oh, no, no, we need to
see your partner, your husband."

So, you know, I felt,
"Gee, you know, a woman...

you know, I work,
this is what I do."

And I felt a little bit

taken aback by the fact

that, you know, I needed
somebody next to me

to get that loan.

It's always been difficult

for women to get
funding in this industry,

and back in the early '80s,
it was impossible.

♪ ♪

My mother was always pretty
aggressive as an entrepreneur.

And she has that instinct to
make money in the restaurants,

which is just not
something that everybody has.

♪ ♪

Felidia Ristorante
is a stellar Italian jewel

in a city that boasts more good
ethnic restaurants

than you can shake a stick at.

Felidia was the big leap

where there was really no
Italian-American food

on the menu.

Now you have quail on the menu
and you have risotto;

it was definitely a risk.

which clearly, you know,
paid off well.

People were ready to try

something different
from Italian-American cuisine.

What Lidia did with Felidia

is make a
restaurant that was timeless.

And the food was just
this luxurious version

of Italian cooking
without any pretense whatsoever.

Everything was the best possible

version of itself.

This breast of veal
is filled

with the most egg-like
vegetable stuffing.

You can enjoy this dinner
and learn to prepare it

step by step from
Lidia Bastianich.

I first met Lidia
when we were

doing a TV series called
"New York's Master Chefs."

("New York's Master Chefs"
theme song playing)

Early '80s,
before the whole food wave.

Presenting
"New York's Master Chefs."

And Lidia was
one of the few women.

Featuring some of
New York's most exciting

restaurants and menus

prepared by the master chefs
who created them.

Fine dining was more like

the brigade kitchen,
the French-style kitchen.

You know, mostly men.

LIDIA: Leave the head on,

because the head is what gives
it an excellent taste.

And then you have
somebody like Lidia come along

and does basically
what they do in Italy.

It's like, the mother's in
charge, is a really good cook.

Basically cooking
recipes she was taught,

and just handing
down that tradition.

LIDIA: I started at six.

Of course my grandmother
was the teacher.

And she used
to put a little stool.

And she used
to put me on the stool.

And I used to put all my weight
on it and press down on it.

And sometimes I pressed
so hard,

that the stool went out from
within me,

and I ended up on the floor.

Up in the mountains,
you would have hard polenta...

Lidia's history
is so deeply ingrained

in her cooking,
and it's not necessarily

what's in the pan
in front of her,

it's what was in the pan

when she was standing next
to her grandmother

cooking in Pola, in Istria.

LIDIA: Take it away from
the sun and age it for...

That's what Lidia brought,

that was Lidia's magic.

♪ ♪

LIDIA: Felidia had been open
for about eight months

when Julia Child
made a reservation.

She was coming with a guest,

who turned out to be none other
than James Beard.

Imagine--
the mother and father

of the American food renaissance
coming to my restaurant!

We were developing
this series,

"Cooking with Master Chefs,"
with Julia.

Born in Northern Italy,

Lidia Bastianich
and her husband, Felice,

they're owners of Felidia,

one of New York's best and most
popular Italian restaurants.

LIDIA: I was in the kitchen.

I was peeking out to, you know,
seeing the entrance

of these two towering figures.

They were seated,
and of course I was nervous.

Julia Child was very curious,
just like me.

She asked me everything
on the menu.

She wanted to learn
how to make the risotto.

I've always loved real
Italian pastas and risottos.

So I was just delighted
when Lidia Bastianich invited us

into her own home kitchen
for a family meal and a lesson.

(birds chirping)

LIDIA: Today
we're going to do a risotto,

a risotto with wild mushrooms.

Lidia really connected

with Julia in the totality.

I talk about nourishment being

our social, emotional

and even spiritual relationship
with food.

Lidia is all of those combined.

LIDIA: Pasta as a main
course,

or risotto as a main course,

with a wonderful beginning
and maybe some cheese

and fruits at the end
could be just wonderful.

Lidia's kitchen was filled

with the aromas
of all this great food.

A real Italian family meal

right here in the U.S. of A.

The dinner at Lidia's house
with Julia

was really festive.

It became a very joyful
occasion.

And as we added music to it,

and I say we added,

Lidia and Felice
added the music.

(playing accordion)

LIDIA: My husband pulled out
the accordion

and started singing Italian
favorite songs.

Don't you think
Julia started singing with us

not knowing the words

or anything.

When Julia

locked arms with Lidia and
Felice and sang back and forth,

I knew that we had a very,
very special TV moment.

(singing in Italian,
accordion playing)

After we did
the episode with Lidia,

I said to my partner
and my colleagues,

"Lidia has to have a TV show."

LIDIA:
"Julia," she said to me,

"Lidia, you do for Italian
cuisine

what I did for French cuisine."

♪ ♪

Seeing people
like Julia Child

and Lidia on television
and cooking

and expressing so much joy,
you wanted to, like,

get to the grocery store,
buy those things

and come home and cook because
they really made it so much fun.

And made you feel
like you could cook this food

and it would
make your life better.

LIDIA: Julia was there not
to show how much she knew,

but she was there to teach--
that's what I want to do.

I want to teach,
I want to communicate.

And that I thank Julia for,
because she sort of made it

clear in my mind that
this is what it's all about.

(speaking Italian)

One, two, three are the things
that I love,

and eggplant in every single one
of them.

Lidia's first
show, "Lidia's Italian Table,"

came out in 1998.

And there were 13 episodes,

LIDIA: You never serve a
spoon with your pasta.

You just manage with your fork.

And I do recall that it
came out

with the companion cookbook.

People were flooding
to her book signings.

They were all saying something
very similar.

"I love her,

she makes me feel like I'm in
her kitchen with her."

"She reminds me
of my grandmother."

"She reminds me of my mother."
"She reminds me of my aunt."

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

LIDIA (speaking Italian):

(speaking Italian):

LIDIA (speaking Italian):

(speaking Italian):

LIDIA (speaking Italian):

I learned a lot from your
show. LIDIA: Good, good.

So I'm here because
I used to hang around this

when I first came to America and
Astoria Park, we used to come.

We play all the time,
every day.

You want to throw my ball?
LIDIA: Yeah, sure.

Okay.

Now, the green...
the pallino is here.

LIDIA: I see the pallino.

oh, she's gonna hit...

Not bad, not bad, not bad.

(cheering)

So I got you two points or one?

No, one point.

(indistinct chatter)

You gonna be my partner?

LIDIA: Okay-- is he good?

He's the master.
He's the best.

LIDIA: Then we win, for sure.
Very nice.

Thank you very much.
Okay.

As we were young girls,

in my mind, I always thought
she was going to be a surgeon,

a doctor, don't ask me why.

LIDIA: How about for your
daughter, yeah? Come.

Someone that will have
a great effect on people

and save them.

My daughter went
to cooking school,

and Lidia's an inspiration.

She watches
her shows all the time.

She's on the right track with
the food now 'cause of Lydia.

She show to American people,
to all over the world,

how to make the most beautiful
foods in the world-- Italian.

She explain exactly how
to do it.

We learn a lot from, from her.

But she's doing
the same thing anyway,

because when you're in
the kitchen

and you're feeding someone well

and you teach them how
to cook and you give nutrition,

you're giving love.

Grazie, Lidia!

(singing in Italian)

♪ Arrivederci, signora Lidia ♪

Signora bella, signora bella.

(cheers and applause)

♪ ♪

LIDIA: Italian good food,
singing,

and play the bocce between.

♪ ♪

(singing in Italian)

Oh, that wonderful sound of
music.

When I was growing up
in Busoler,

the town that I was born in,
the windows were all open

and everybody had their
radio on the same channel.

And the same song
permeated the whole town.

But not only the song,

the wonderful smells of
sugo and ragu.

And I can't say that
I can teach you how to sing,

but I surely can show you
how to make a great ragu,

so stay tuned...

When you're
tasting that food,

you're not only
tasting a Lidia ragu,

but you're tasting a piece
of Lidia's life and history.

LIDIA:
I wish I could have you here.

They then decided to do
a second series called

"Lidia's Italian-American
Kitchen" in 2001.

LIDIA: Here I will stir...

That one was
even more popular

than "Lidia's Italian Table."

LIDIA: This is my mother,

Erminia, also known as Nonna...

(voiceover): My mother,
she was was part of

everything almost I did.

The show, too-- she was there,
she was part of it.

(on screen):
And try to put the...

Until-- not now,
until it's hot.

It has to be very hot.
LIDIA: Is it hot enough?

Maybe two minutes more.

LIDIA: Oh, okay,
then I'll wait.

I'll wait, we'll wait
the two minutes.

We don't argue that one.

You know,
this is experience here.

Erminia had a way about her

that you couldn't help
but be excited

to see what was
going to happen next.

LIDIA: You and dad--

Vittorio,
who's no longer with us--

came here with
these two children,

you didn't
speak the language...

We didn't have a penny,

because we escaped.

Whenever it would be
her and Grandma on camera,

you would just want to
sit and watch.

I didn't
know what I will do,

I just pray to God
that I can bring my children

in some safety place,

and that I can give to them

some kind of education.

LIDIA:
And that you did, Grandma.

Everybody loves Grandma.

And I think it's because

she gave off this energy about

just loving life
and human beings.

Thank God
that God listened to me

and gave me everything
that I desired.

LIDIA: Yeah.
Two nice children.

I love you.

LIDIA: (exhales)
She's gonna have me sobbing.

After
"Lidia's Italian Table"

and after "Lidia's
Italian-American Kitchen,"

Lidia became a grandmother.

♪ ♪

LIDIA:
My family had grown

to include my mother,
my two children,

and five grandchildren.

It was only natural for me

to include them all in my show.

Hi, Joe.
Hello.

LIDIA: Buongiorno.

(voiceover):
By then, my son Joe

and daughter Tanya
had their own lives,

but I loved having them
in the kitchen.

The ones that really
got into it were my grandkids,

because I had them
when they were small. (laughs)

What are we making?

Gnocchi!

Gnocchi!
LIDIA: Okay.

So, cleaning the potatoes.

You're shaving it?

I'm just shaving it.
LIDIA: Oh, mamma mia.

You've done it before?

Yeah, I have.
Once or twice.

LIDIA: This is
Lorenzo Manuali,

my grandson, and this is
Miles Bastianich.

So proud of you guys,
I really am.

I love having you
in the kitchen, guys.

It's the best.

(speaking Italian)
Julia.

she definitely loves
teaching,

especially her grandchildren,

You can see it just
puts a smile on her face.

She just loves being
around family and grandkids,

and usually there's always
one missing,

and it always irks her
a little bit, you know. (laughs)

LIDIA:
I know Olivia is missing.

But, okay,
she had a wedding to go to.

(sizzling)

There you go.

A little more.
Yeah, I would do that.

This looks really good.

LIDIA: Rub your hands

like that, just like Nonni.

That's it.

Flour a little bit, your board.

There.
LIDIA: Okay.

Just like that,
the whole board.

Something that
always comes to mind is

standing on chairs
to reach the countertops,

flour everywhere,

and not really getting much
done.

LIDIA: You guys have got
the moves!

So who wants to knead
a little bit here?

Julia.

Okay, come on, Ethan.
Your turn.

I know when you were kids,

you used to love

to knead into it.

Nonni's gonna give each one
a nice piece of dough.

This is yours.
(slapping)

Ah, dough!
LIDIA: Okay.

The kids being on the show

was something natural
for Lidia.

I mean, she wanted to
let other people see

how you can easily get kids
involved in the kitchen,

you can make it fun for them.

LIDIA: Okay, Julia, roll it.

Roll it, that's it.

Now we're making it long.

LIDIA: Are you ready to cut?
Uh-huh.

LIDIA: Okay.
That's a good job.

Clearly it allows her
to express an awful lot of joy

when she's cooking with them.

Even today, I mean, you know,

she just loves
to have them in the kitchen.

LIDIA: Now let me show you
how we can shape them.

Shape, shape, shape.

LIDIA: Shape, shape, shape.
(laughs)

LIDIA: You ready for it?
I'm ready.

LIDIA:
Look how Nonni does it.

Like this,

and then you
roll it like that.

Press it in the middle

and let it slide off.

Wow, what a good job,
Lorenzo!

(laughs)
LIDIA: All right!

What do you remember the most?
I remember

loving to help you cook,

and then we would
all eat it together,

and...
LIDIA: Too big.

The gnocchis are getting
too big while you're talking.

(both laugh)

I'm sure if
she did it all herself,

there wouldn't be
anything wrong.

But it's not all about that.

It's about creating
this meal together

that really matters to her.

LIDIA: Beautiful job.

You're gonna wash up now,

Nonni's gonna go make
some sauce

and cook the gnocchis,
and we'll have lunch.

♪ ♪

I'm gonna give them
one little stir.

Just let's fish them out,

put them right in here.

♪ ♪

Okay, the gnocchis are ready.

All of your gnocchis,
look at this, are beautiful.

Everybody hungry?
Yeah.

Oh yeah.
Hungry.

LIDIA: All right.

The kids are all
pretty big now,

and they all know
how to cook pretty well.

I mean, not Lidia-level,
but they all know how to cook.

♪ ♪

LIDIA:
And? do we like that?

Lorenzo likes
the tomato, of course.

Can I taste this one,
Lorenzo?

Mm-hmm, really good.

LIDIA: I like
the tomato one very much.

Mm.

Not a lot of talking,

that means it's good.

She's probably

the most generous person

I've ever met in my entire life.

She'll go out and move the world

to just spend
ten minutes with us.

LIDIA:
This is what it's all about.

Being with the people you love

around a good meal.

Lidia presented food as
a family adventure.

LIDIA:
Can I get a little kissy poo?

(kissing noises)

Lidia's grandkids
were wonderful,

because you could see
that they were

falling in love with food,

because
Lidia brought that joy.

LIDIA: Nothing better.

♪ ♪

The audience on television

became part
of Lidia's family

as they began to
experience and grow

with these kids.

LIDIA:
Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

Ti amo, Julieta.
You come along too, yes.

Ciao, ciao.

Ciao, ciao.

(both speaking Italian)

LIDIA: Ciao, ciao.

If you go into millions
of people's kitchens,

her face is going to be there.

Her books are there,

people look at her

every time they cook.

♪ ♪

So she becomes
a family member.

♪ ♪

I feel like I have
a lot of people's grandmother

as a grandmother,
which is really, really nice.

People recognize her, and, you
know, it's really a joy to see

how much she enjoys, like,
you know, talking with people

and hearing their stories.

LIDIA: How are you doing?

I see you
all the time, Channel 13.

LIDIA:
Thank you, thank you.

I love Italian food,
oh my goodness.

Everyone
wants a piece of her.

I don't think she
can say no

to teaching or giving

or getting her message
out there.

LIDIA:
I'm always asked about

fresh versus canned tomatoes
for sauce...

Culture.

We can learn about it
through language,

we can learn about it
through art,

we can learn
about it through music.

But Lidia's focus
has always been food,

and it was her mission
from the beginning

to show people how to cook

the way Italians from Italy
were really cooking.

LIDIA: San Marzano is a
place in Italy where they grow,

It has a lot of meat.
Not too much juice,

not too many seeds.

Phyllis Dipilla
from Bronx asks what is

the proper pronunciation
for bruschetta.

Brava, Phyllis.

It is "broo-skeh-tuh,"

none of this
"broo-shet-ah" business.

"Broo-skeh-tuh."

I see Lidia as
the definitive personality

to make people want
to cook Italian food.

♪ ♪

Very much the same way

Julia Child made you
want to cook an omelet

or made you want to
cook French food.

Hi, Lidia!

I'm Caitlin, this is Jeff.

We're here in
my college apartment

in State College, P.A.,

and today we're making
chicken piccata meatballs.

And our question
for you is,

do you have any unique takes

on traditional meals
that you like to make?

(together):
Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

She'll mention emails

that she gets from viewers

or things that people
tell her at cookbook signings

that they want to see more of
or they want to see less of.

LIDIA: I'm reading,
watching your photos.

And she really cares.

LIDIA:
You know wherever I am,

I always check in with you

and see what questions you have
and what you want to know.

(shaking skillet)
Okay...

She's completely
empowering people

to cook the way
they want to cook.

LIDIA: I also tell you,

you know what happens.

Says "Lidia,
what happened to me?

This happened." You see?

It happens to me, too,

but you can correct it,
no problem.

And there we go.
(shakes skillet)

♪ ♪

(voiceover):
You know, I do get emails

where there's
a gathering, wherever,

and everybody
makes one of my recipes

and then they gather together
with some good wine.

(camera clicking)
And it's a Lidia party,

and I just love that.

(camera clicking)
I am not invited,

but my flavors are.

(camera clicking)

Lidia is
someone you'd want

at your dinner table.

Your fantasy is,

I wish Lidia were
my mother or grandmother

having dinner with us
and talking about food and life.

♪ ♪

And then you go selfie style,

and then you can
extend this baby out.

♪ ♪

Social media was
just kind of

starting to blow up in 2014.

It was like, "Let's do it.

"Let's do Facebook Lives on set,

let's do Instagram."

(camera clicking)
And so I bought her

a selfie stick
and a selfie light,

and she was so into it.

LIDIA:
I got a new toy, right?

(camera clicking)
♪ ♪

And look how artistic
I'm getting.

(camera clicks)

30-some-odd people later,

she was like,
"I got this, let's do this."

And then she's
recording videos,

she's like, "We're going to
put this on the 'Gram."

I'm like, "Yes, you call it
the 'Gram, Lidia.

You've got the lingo down."

And it's just so fun

to see her
get comfortable with it.

I think she's just so willing

to go for the ride on anything.

And it's like she
has total fun playing.

LIDIA: Okay, Amy,

walk me through this,
this episode.

Okay, so you're going
to come back,

you're going to
show your chickpeas,

say, you know,
"These are cooked down.

They're nice and tender,
and now I'm going to

roll out my pasta."
LIDIA: Okay.

I have been with Lidia
for 22 years.

I started working on her show

when my daughter
was about to turn one,

and my daughter's now
about to turn 23.

(on screen):
So you're going to cut this,

unwrap this,
cut it into pieces.

You're going to flour,
you're going to roll...

(voiceover):
Lidia has, like,

a lot of chutzpah, you know?

And she's just fun,
and it's contagious.

Everyone smile!

(camera clicks)
(laughter, indistinct chatter)

Her work ethic, her love
for what she's doing,

made us want to participate,

so that we can,
at the end of the day, say,

"Hey, we helped to make this
a great product

or a great experience, too."

♪ ♪

You can't help but

want to be there for her
and show up for her

and give her your all,
because she gives her all.

LIDIA: It's smoking.
Hey, Lidia,

I just wanted to
show you this real quick,

this question.

LIDIA:
Beautiful... beauty shot.

We like to play
jokes with each other.

She was nominated for an Emmy,
and we recorded it,

because it was this
cute thing that we did,

to reveal it to her with an
Ask Lidia.

We were like, "Oh, Lidia,
we have an Ask Lidia for you,

what do you
think of this one?"

LIDIA: Did you know
you just received

an Emmy nomination for
Outstanding Culinary Host?

Congratulations.
(laughing)

(crew applauding)
Yay!

(applauding)

LIDIA:
Thank you, guys.

Shelly, come over here.

Come, come.
You too, everybody come.

Yay! Good job!
(cheering)

(voiceover): I think
the first thing she said,

she was like,
"It's for everybody."

Like, she just gives it back.

LIDIA:
You guys all will be included.

(laughter, cheering)
All right?

She really does consider
every single person

a pivotal part of her family,

a part of her show,
a part of her magic.

LIDIA:
Oh my God, the, the...

the lasagna is crying.
(laughter)

It's so exciting...
(background chatter)

Lidia is always up for
new things.

She's done very well
with a series that

demonstrated authentic
classic Italian recipes.

LIDIA: The tomato sauce,
a little more liquid...

And she did
extremely well with

many more years of the

"Lidia's Italian-American
Kitchen Table" recipes.

And then,
she incorporated family.

And it was time to now
figure out what's next.

And she felt that it was time,

it was time
to take them to Italy.

♪ ♪

where they could
meet the artisans,

understand the products,

understand
some of the techniques

that went into those products,

which is an important part
of Italian cuisine.

LIDIA:
♪ The hills are alive ♪

♪ With the sound of cow bells ♪

So, Lidia's with the cows
up in the mountains.

We went to every region.

(all speaking Italian)

Lidia's rolling pasta
with this fabulous woman

and her two daughters
in Bologna.

And it really gave people

a look into
authentic Italy and food

and how central this is
to Italian cultures.

LIDIA:
And I had the whole town,

centenarians and all,

waiting for me with
this big display of food.

It's an
educational experience.

It's a beautiful
educational experience,

in the hopes that this

would give people
more enthusiasm

to try and cook
and learn and enjoy.

(speaking Italian, cheering)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Pope Benedict XVI
made the final stops

on his U.S. tour today,

and it was an "only in New
York" kind of occasion.

(crowd cheering)

LIDIA: When I got asked
to cook for the Pope,

that was a great honor.

This figure, especially if
you're a Catholic,

it's... up,

the highest you can go
close to God.

(cheering)

I think cooking for the popes

was one of the highlights
of her life.

I wouldn't even say career,
I would say life.

She's a very spiritual person,
so I think this was personal.

It's like, for her,
having dinner with Jimi Hendrix,

Prince, and Elvis Presley
all at the same time.

(cheering)

She took great care
in thinking about the menus.

LIDIA: And so,
when Pope Benedict came,

I made goulash for him

with smoked potatoes,
very German.

And sauerkraut
and sour cream.

I said, you know,

"How was everything?
Did you..."

Can you imagine me
asking the Pope?

But I did. You know,
"Did you enjoy everything?"

He said,
(speaking Italian)

He said that there was some
of the flavors of his mother.

The sauerkraut,
the spaetzle, the goulash

all brought him home.

♪ ♪

Being asked to cook
for Pope Benedict

was a surprise and an honor.

Seven years later,

I was asked to cook for
Pope Francis as well.

I could hardly believe it.

To serve the leader of
the Catholic Church in the world

is once-in-a-lifetime.

But to do it twice...
(chuckles)

I don't know how more blessed
we can be to do that.

♪ ♪

LIDIA: Coming up on
"Lidia Celebrates America,"

four holidays and four very
different tables and traditions.

Come with me...

(voiceover):
A few years ago,

I went to PBS, and I said,

I would like to do a show,
"Lidia Celebrates America."

♪ ♪

It is our honor and pleasure
to be here today,

because I know the price
and the value of freedom.

♪ ♪

(narrating): I've left
my big city home behind

to discover real small-town
America

through its food.

Lidia would go
and she would visit with

the family that had been
chosen for those specials.

I am Dr. Barbecue.
Welcome, greetings.

LIDIA:
Well, pleasure, doctor.

Lidia encourages viewers

to embrace different cultures
through food.

ALL: L'chaim!

You can have
a really good time...

Silent...
LIDIA: Wow.

And eat well while
you're doing it.

LIDIA:
This is my kingdom here.

I see. It's beautiful.
LIDIA: Come, come, come in.

(voiceover): We cook together,
we eat together,

and then we talk.

Let me have the jacket...
Oh? Okay, okay.

LIDIA:
And let's get serious here.

I can keep my pants on?
(Lidia laughs)

For her,
it's really all about

people creating a better
food experience for themselves.

LIDIA:
What do you have here?

So, we have Swiss chard...

Lidia's like,
"I've learned so much,

"I've lived such a life.

"Why would I
hold it for myself?

"I need to
give it to everybody.

"Everyone needs to, like...

If they want it, here it is."

LIDIA: Mm, perfetto.

Everything is kind of dancing
in there. Mm-hmm.

LIDIA: Mm.

Mm.

(clicks tongue)

Good.

Really good.

This is good.

Now when you
share food together,

you are family.
Mm.

LIDIA: So we are family.
Yes.

LIDIA: Okay?

Buon appetito.

(sirens blaring in distance)

♪ ♪

And then the pandemic hit.

And everything came to a stop.

We weren't sure what to do.

♪ ♪

So, we were still trying

to produce and create
for the viewers.

That's what she does,
that's what she loves to do.

LIDIA:
Here we are in my kitchen.

I'm here with
my grandson Lorenzo.

My son Lorenzo, who had been
sent home from college,

would mask up and go in
and help her shoot some videos.

LIDIA: Hi Olivia,
how you doing?

Hi! I'm good, how are you?

Everybody was
doing things through Zoom.

It did present
its own challenges,

but what was great
is we got some really

intimate moments
with her mom telling stories.

Do you know
what my mother tell me?

She tried to teach me
how to do pasta.

And she said to me,

you have to know
seven different pasta,

otherwise nobody will marry you.
(Lidia laughs)

It was nice to have
that perspective from Erminia.

And she was so sweet.

She was dressed up in
her, like, house dress.

Like, it was just-- I was like
"Yes, this is all the feels."

I was like, "I'm in
my nightgown too, directing.

"This is great.

(laughing): Let's
do it together, Grandma."

LIDIA: (speaking Italian)

♪ ♪

(voiceover):
I'm blessed,

because most of my life

I spent close to my mother.

But the pandemic gave me
that extra two years

to really nurture her

and be with her, and reconnect

in many different ways.

♪ ♪

Because as
she was getting older,

I realized that the time,
you know,

I had with her was limited.

♪ ♪

(projector clicks)

♪ ♪

And when we did lose her,

I think that was something
that we didn't want to admit.

I didn't want to admit,
I guess you could say.

I still talk about her
in the present tense,

because I'm just like,
"Nope, we're good.

Like, "She's just
with us all the time,

it's totally fine."

♪ ♪

LIDIA: To this day,
I mean, she's gone two years,

and at the end of the shows,
there's a tribute to her.

We have little clips
where she sang...

(singing in Italian
with Lidia)

LIDIA: And people just
love it, still love it.

I love it,

because she certainly deserves,
it's...

she was part of this success.

(speaking Italian)
(glasses clink)

(both speaking Italian)

♪ ♪

LIDIA: So, Wanda,

this is like we used to do,

except we didn't get so fancy,
but I thought

at this age,
we need some class.

I always had class.

LIDIA: Okay.
How about some

mortadella and vegetables?
How do you like that?

Mm, nice.

♪ ♪

LIDIA:
You come back here

and it's still the same.

Don't you think so?

Everything we have done
influenced who we become,

but the core of
who we are never changes.

LIDIA:
This endless friendship.

Do you know how many
years we know each other?

I don't do numbers
anymore.

It was a long time ago.

LIDIA:
We were babies, infants.

Let's leave it at that.
(both laugh)

We were.

We were,

but you always
gave the impression

that no matter
how young you were,

that you had wisdom
that comes with the ages.

We followed you,
we listened to you,

and you guided.

So, yeah,

it's different wisdoms
that came together.

Thank God.

(voiceover): I lost my father
when I was ten.

We had no one that
was family in this country.

Eventually, Lidia took me
in her family.

So, when I talk of family...

I talk of Lidia's family.

LIDIA: I think why
we're friends for so long

is because we are
somewhat opposites.

You are vivacious,
full of life, full of jokes,

You just get into a situation,

you don't think about it.

And I had to pull you
out of situations now and then.

And you did.
Many times.

You really did.

This is who she is.

It's... she gives.
That's it, period.

LIDIA: Let's toast to
our many years of friendship.

(glasses clinking)
And let's toast to

the future years of
our friendship.

The next chapter.
LIDIA: Okay.

Salute.
LIDIA: Salute.

♪ ♪

(voiceover):
To cap off my 25th anniversary,

I couldn't resist hosting
a celebratory dinner.

My son Joe offered
his restaurant, Becco.

To talk about a legacy,

that's maybe for
somebody else to talk.

Hi, Cathy!
Hi Lidia, how are you?

LIDIA: All right.

(voiceover): But I know
that I feel committed,

that my art, my profession,

goes beyond just a kitchen
and a stove and a pot.

How you doing, Billy?
Getting ready.

LIDIA: Okay.
Oh, this looks great.

Now, you went fishing then?

I went fishing.
LIDIA: And you caught

this beautiful fish.

Got a full fluke.
LIDIA: Wow.

So we'll have
a roasted fluke...

I'm gonna serve it with
broccoli rabe.

LIDIA: Okay.
Cooked your way.

LIDIA: That's...
yeah, nice.

"Straccinata," as they say
in Italian--

dragged in the pan.
Dragged in the pan, exactly.

LIDIA: All right, and all
the meat? Did you decide on...

We're going
to do porterhouse.

LIDIA: A nice porterhouse.

A nice porterhouse
for like two.

Nice, thick cut. Beautiful.
LIDIA: Okay.

(voiceover):
Whatever was given to me,

and I learned, and
the gifts along the way,

they're really not mine to keep.

I feel a duty to pass it on.

I'd like to thank
you all very much for coming.

You've been a part of my life

ever since, you know, I came
as a young girl here...

(voiceover): Joining me
for this intimate meal

are a few dear friends
representing

different chapters of my life.

Salute and thank you
for coming.

Salute.
(everyone toasting)

♪ ♪

Okay, cin cin.

Cin cin, cin cin.
(glasses clinking)

♪ ♪

(voiceover):
It's not just me.

It's not a solitary journey.

Everybody is part
of who I am today.

Very low.

I cook it 14 hours.
LIDIA: Nice.

So all the water evaporates.

It makes
a lousy tomato beautiful.

LIDIA (laughing):
And delicious!

(voiceover):
Christopher Walken,

who I've known since childhood,

and his wife Georgianne.

Happy anniversary, Lidia.

I love you,

and I'm so happy for you
and your success.

How do you cook octopus?

LIDIA:
I put it in cold water...

(voiceover):
Geoffrey Zakarian,

a fellow restaurateur.

Thank you for
all you've taught me.

No one does
it as good as you do.

I mean, it was 1983,

and I think you
had just opened Felidia.

And they selected this group,

and Lidia,
you were one of two women.

And you were there,
and I remember...

LIDIA:
Young woman, Italian.

I was unique in that group!
(laughs)

(voiceover):
Geoffrey Drummond,

my first television producer.

25 years.
Congratulations, Lidia.

It's an amazing run,
and I'm sure it will continue.

♪ ♪

People stop me and say,
"Do you know Lidia?

How-- is she
really that way?"

And I say, "Absolutely."

LIDIA (voiceover):
Angelo Vivolo.

We've cooked together
for two popes

and a variety of charities

I can't tell you
how honored I am

to congratulate you on
this very special occasion.

♪ ♪

I knew each time
I look at your show,

I would learn something.

LIDIA: (voiceover):
And Jacques Pepin,

my dear friend and idol.

Sometimes you learn
what not to do...

(all laugh)

We love you.

Keep cooking.

We are so happy
to be here, Lidia.

(glasses clink)
LIDIA: We just get together,

and continue to enjoy, eat,
and share.

I love you.
LIDIA: Oh, thank you.

Cheers.
LIDIA: Wonderful.

(glasses clink)

(voiceover):
Food is a history.

♪ ♪

It's not in a vacuum.

Food is not out of a pan.

Food is a life history
of people,

of places, events,
of memories.

Smile!

♪ ♪

ALL:
Tutti a tavola...

LIDIA:
A mangiare.

(glasses clink)

♪ ♪

Salute.
LIDIA: Salute.

Congratulations, Lidia!
Thank you so much...

For inviting me to
your home.

For the family
that you have offered me.

Making me
a part of your family.

I have nothing but gratitude.

For everything you've
taught me.

And sharing your passion.

You are such an inspiration.

Do what you do
and don't stop.

I'm really proud of you.

You done good, kid.

I love you so much.
I love you.

And I love you so much.

Happy anniversary,
my darling.

Happy 25th.

(glasses clinking)
Cin cin.