On August 22, 1970 Giada DeLaurentiis was born in Rome, Italy, to actress Veronica DeLaurentiis and producer Alex DePenedetti. She was the eldest of 5 children. After their parents divorce, all 5 children moved to Southern California with their mother to start a new life in America. Always doing well in school and fitting in with her peers, Giada graduated with honors from Marymount High School in Los Angeles. She continued her education at UCLA and earned her bachelor’s degree in social anthropology in 1996. Having discovered her hidden passion for food, she began to study culinary arts at the very prestigious LeCordon Bleu in Paris France. After completing her courses there, she moved back to Los Angeles and went on to work as a professional chef in several restaurants including an establishment owned by Wolfgang Puck called Spago. Later Giada advanced her culinary career by becoming a food stylist for Food & Wine magazine. In 2002, her big break came when the Food Network noticed her work with this magazine and offered her a job.
By 2003 Giada De Laurentiis was the host of her own cooking show on the Food Network. Because of her cooking point of view, it was aptly named Everyday Italian. Although she had come from a family of actors, her first experiences in front of cameras were quite awkward and uncomfortable. After a few mediocre tapings, she emerged from her shell and became the warm confident authority on Italian cuisine that she is today. Soon she became known for her authentic pronunciations of Italian words within the content of her English language. A few months after Everyday Italian aired, she was featured on the Food Network’s Chefography program. In 2006 Giada became the host of her 2nd Food Network show called Behind the Bash. This show was a behind the scenes peek at the catering process of big events. In that same year she was partnered with Bobby Flay as a contestant on Iron Chef America. In 2007 Giada hosted her 3rd Food Network show. Giada’s Weekend Getaways took her all over the world as she featured some of her favorite cuisines from different areas of the globe.
Along with all of her highly rated television shows, Giada has many other things “on the burner.” In 2007 she hosted a 2 part special called Giada in Paradise which featured the culinary cuisines of Greece and Italy. She was also a presenter at the Food Network Awards as well as a guest judge on Next Food Network Star. In 2008 she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host. After many inquiries about the subject, Giada launched her own line of kitchen supplies which are now available in stores. Starting in 2010 she became the official spokeswoman for the Barilla product line.
When Giada’s culinary career was just taking off, she married fashion designer Todd Thompson. Maybe this is a contributing factor to the fact that she is always impeccably dressed and has become somewhat of a fashion icon herself. Five years after they were married, she announced her pregnancy to the world on live television during an appearance on the Today show. She gave birth to their daughter Jade Marie in March of 2008. Of her many jobs in life, Giada says that motherhood is by far the most important as well as the most rewarding one. She credits her strong family bonds for her outstanding strength and ability to juggle many things at once. Giada De Laurentiis may be a petite 5 foot 2 inch lady but she certainly packs a powerful punch when it comes to taking a big bite out of life.