Giada De Laurentiis is a chef, writer, and television personality. She is best known as one of the Food Network’s stars. However, she is also a businesswoman with a catering company who has written cookbooks. Due to her fame, there are many facts about Giada De Laurentiis that people know. On the others hand, there are also Giada De Laurentiis facts that are lesser-known. Here are some facts about Giada De Laurentiis that you might find interesting.
Giada De Laurentiis Facts: Her Early Life
Where Was Giada De Laurentiis Born?
Giada De Laurentiis was born as Giada Pamela De Benedetti in Rome, Italy, on August 22, 1970. She has celebrities in her family. Laurentiis’ father is actor-producer Alex De Benedetti and her mother is the child of actress Veronica De Laurentiis. Her maternal grandmother was the film star Silvana Mangano. Laurentiis has one sister and two brothers. Her sister, Eloisa, is a makeup artist. Her brothers are called Igor and Dino Alexander. The latter was a Hollywood film editor who died in 2003 of melanoma. Laurentiis’ stepfather is producer Ivan Kovalsky.
When Did Giada De Laurentiis Move to the United States?
After her parents divorced when she was a child, Giada De Laurentiis moved with her mother and siblings to Southern California. Laurentiis then took her mother’s surname. Throughout her childhood and teens, Laurentiis continued to live in California.
Did Giada De Laurentiis Go to University?
Giada De Laurentiis attended Marymount High School in Los Angeles. She then earned a degree in social anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating in 1996.
Facts About Giada De Laurentiis’ Personal Life
Is Giada De Laurentiis Married?
Many fans wonder, who is Giada De Laurentiis’ husband? Laurentiis’ former husband was fashion designer Todd Thompson, and they have been married since 2003. Sadly, the marriage did not last, and the couple separated in 2014. Their divorce was finalized a year later. Since 2015, Giada De Laurentiis has been in a relationship with TV producer Shane Farley.
Does Giada De Laurentiis Have Children?
Giada De Laurentiis has one child with her former husband. Their daughter, Jade Marie Laurentiis-Thompson, was born in March 2008. Laurentiis chose her daughter’s name because Giada means Jade in Italian.
Where Does Giada De Laurentiis Live?
According to Closer Weekly, Giada De Laurentiis lives in a stunning home in Los Angeles. Due to the success of her career, it is hardly surprising that she owns a luxurious property. Her home is a single-level home in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of the city. It measures 3,600-square-feet and sits on a plot of 0.31-acres.
What Is Giada De Laurentiis’ Net Worth?
Something that many people are interested to know is, ‘What is Giada De Laurentiis’ net worth? She is currently one of the richest celebrity chefs in the world. It is estimated that Giada De Laurentiis’ net worth is $30 million. It ranks her equal to Rick Bayless, and higher on the list than Guy Fieri and Mario Batali. However, there are many more celebrity chefs who are worth more. These include Thomas Keller, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Alan Wong, and David Chang.
Facts About Giada De Laurentiis: Her Culinary Career
She Trained in Paris
Although De Laurentiis has a degree in social anthropology, she dreamed of becoming a pastry chef. She studied in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu before returning to the United States.
She Worked as a Chef in Los Angeles
After completing her studies, Giada De Laurentiis began working as a professional chef in various restaurants across Los Angeles. One of the restaurants in which she worked was Spago, which renowned chef Wolfgang Puck owns.
De Laurentiis Worked as a Food Stylist
Giada De Laurentiis spent some time working as a food stylist. One of her jobs was styling food for a piece in the ‘Food & Wine’ magazine in 2002. It was as a result of this work that she was noticed by the Food Network and invited to host her own cooking show.
De Laurentiis Has a Range of Products
Giada De Laurentiis has a range of products that she designed exclusively for Target. Her range of products includes cooking tools, utensils, and stainless steel pots and pans. It also contains some food items, such as pasta and cooking sauces.
She Has Three Restaurants
Giada De Laurentiis has three restaurants. She opened her first restaurant, ‘Giada,’ is in the Cromwell on the Las Vegas Strip. Four years later, she opened her second Las Vegas Strip restaurant, Pronto by Giada, in Caesars Palace. In the same year, De Laurentiis opened her third restaurant, GDL Italian by Giada. It is in the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Celebrity Chef Launched a Gourmet Food Range
In collaboration with the Barilla Group, Giada De Laurentiis launched a line of gourmet Italian products in 2008. The line was launched under the Academia Barilla name. It was the first time Barilla had launched a celebrity product line.
Laurentiis’ Television Career
She First Appeared on Television in 2003
De Laurentiis first made the progression from chef to celebrity chef in 2003. Just like Ree Drummond, Giada De Laurentiis began her career on The Food Network. After seeing a piece she had styled in Food & Drink magazine, they offered her a slot on their network. Her series ‘Everyday Italian’ aired for the first time on 5 April 2003. At first, she felt very uncomfortable in front of the camera. Two years later, the celebrity chef hosted ‘Behind the Bash, which examined what happens behind the scenes at catering for major events.
De Laurentiis Hosted a Travel-Food Show
The celebrity chef’s career means she has travelled to various locations across the world. In 2007, she travelled to various locations across the United States for ‘Giada’s Weekend Getaways.’ Two years later, she visited Capri in Italy and Santorini in Greece for ‘Giada in Paradise,’ a two-part series.
She Has Been a Judge on The Next Food Network Star
Over the years, Giada De Laurentiis has been a judge on ‘The Next Food Network Star’ on many occasions. She first appeared on the series in 2007 for the third season. In that season, she was a guest judge in several episodes of the cooking competition. In season seven of the series, she was a judge alongside Bobby Flay. De Laurentiis then took on a new role in season eight, as she became one of the team leaders. The other team leaders were Alton Brown and Bobby Flay.
She Competed in Iron Chef
In 2006, Giada De Laurentiis teamed up with Bobby Flay to compete in the televised cooking competition ‘Iron Chef.’ The duo competed against Mario Batali and Rachael Ray, who defeated De Laurentiis and Flay.
Her Publications
She Published Her First Book in 2005
Giada De Laurentiis published her first book in 2005, and the inspiration came from her Italian culinary heritage. The book’s title is ‘Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes.’
De Laurentiis Has Released Nine Cookbooks
Since releasing her first book, De Laurentiis has gone on to release a further eight books. It means she has released a total of nine cookbooks throughout her career. Her most recent publication was the 2018 cookbook ‘Giada’s Italy.’
Other Giada De Laurentiis Facts
What Is Giada De Laurentiis’ Favourite Food?
One of the Giada De Laurentiis facts that her fans want to know is what she likes to eat. Unsurprisingly, Giada De Laurentiis loves Italian food. However, Italian is not the only food that the celebrity chef loves to eat. According to The List (https://www.thelist.com/280960/this-is-what-giada-de-laurentiis-really-eats-in-a-day/), two of De Laurentiis’ favourite treats are chocolate and wine. She also has some healthy eating habits. Each morning, she drinks warm lemon water to rehydrate herself and kickstart her day.
De Laurentiis Has Voiced Film and Television Characters
Although she is known for her cooking and not her acting, De Laurentiis has voiced several film and television characters. Her first voice role was providing the voice of Paulette in ‘Handy Manny.’ She then voiced Gelata in the Tinker Bell special ‘Pixie Hollow Bake Off.’ In 2018, she provided the voice for an animate version of herself in the movie ‘Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost.’
She Was in a Car Advertisement
Although she is best known for her culinary career, Giada De Laurentiis also has involvement in various other projects. One of these was appearing in advertisements for Hyundai cars. She starred in a 2021 commercial for the motor company’s Hyundai Tucson.
She Has Won Several Awards
Giada De Laurentiis has won several awards during her career. Her first was the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host, which she won in 2008 for hosting ‘Everyday Italian.’ Four years later, she won a Gracie Award for Outstanding Host for hosting ‘Giada at Home.’ De Laurentiis won her second Daytime Emmie Award in 2020. It was in the category of Outstanding Culinary Host for hosting ‘Giada Entertains.’
We hope you enjoyed reading our facts about Giada De Laurentiis.