Food is the language we all speak

Lidia Bastianich was born in Pula and grew up between Istria and Trieste, and her life story began in the kitchen — as a space of family, identity, and survival. From this Mediterranean, Istrian, and Italian heritage emerged a deep connection to food that later became the foundation of her global success.

In this intimate one-on-one conversation, we talk about roots that are never forgotten, recipes infused with emotion and memory, and how traditional cuisine became a bridge between private life and a professional journey. We will also touch on her move to the United States, the building of a culinary empire, family relationships, and the role of food as a language through which values, culture, and a sense of belonging are passed on.

This is a conversation about a life built slowly, a career that has spanned decades, and food that has always been — and remains — at the very center of everything