Giada back in paradise: SoBe fest princess ready to rustle up some good Italian eats
Giada De Laurentiis plays favorites in the food department.
Si, signorina: Italy is 100 percent absolutely worthy of all the superlatives the Rome nativecan muster.
“People always ask me what is it about Italy that makes it so special?” waxed the celebrity chef from her home in Los Angeles. “It’s not only one of the most beautiful places on this planet, with such phenomenal landscapes, depending on where you are, it’s the people who are so warm and inviting and always want to feed you! It has a way of grabbing onto your soul, and impacts you on a deep level, which I think is what we’re all looking for when we travel.”
De Laurentiis, 52, will do her best to re-create the same hospitality and spirit of her ancestors when she leads a walkaround feast Thursday night at the duly titled A Taste of Italy in and around Jungle Plaza in the Design District to help kick off SOBEWFF 2023. Safe to say, those lucky (and fast) enough to snag a $175 ticket, will be fed well.
De Laurentiis is not only excited, but feels “fresh” after taking last year’s fest off. Moreover, she thinks the sophisticated, urban locale is perfect for this event that includes carb-friendly offerings from Prime One Twelve, Randazzo’s and Spris Pizza.
“The Design District is so elegant and cool and really in line with the modern Italian theme,” she said, adding she is pleased to be a little more inland. “The beach can get a little tricky with the weather and the sand.”
The “Giada in Paradise” star will be busy. Another one of her sold out events on the mainland is Friday’s $350-a-head dinner at Verde at the Perez Art Miami Museum, known to insiders as just PAMM.
Apologies, if you now have serious FOMO. De Laurentiis (whose grandfather was famed producer Dino) actually feels badly, too, that she can’t feed everyone. As a consolation prize this year, she came out with a starter kit of a yummy signature dish that you make at home. The “Miami Meets Italy” set, $98, includes the fixings for a spaghetti al limone, with ingredients sourced directly from the Boot.
Clueless on how to boil water? You can watch the master in action in a virtual cooking demo on her Giadzy lifestyle channel for help and tips. You’ll see more of her on that e-commerce platform after just announcing her exit from Food Network after 21 years.
In a statement announcing her departure, De Laurentiis’ former New York-based employer called one of their brightest lights “culinary royalty,” adding a seat would always be at the table for her.
The Daytime Emmy winner also is working to build her eponymous catering company and just signed a multiyear overall deal with Amazon to develop and executive produce unscripted programming.
Work surely isn’t slowing down. But there is always time for play. De Laurentiis threatens she’ll make it over to the beach, eventually, on her trip South. She usually does, to dip in the ocean or grab a bite. De Laurentiis can’t go without popping into “iconic” Joe’s Stone Crab or another fave, Casa Tua (“so charming and homey”).
As for newly opened dining spots, the mother of one is looking for recommendations.
“I feel like Miami is always changing,” she said. “All the buildings — restaurants, apartments, hotels. It is just completely out of control. I feel like I need to ask around what the food scene is like.”
As a frequent fest headliner, De Laurentiis remembers when Miami was a different, sleepier kind of town and the fest was a much smaller affair.
De Laurentiis recalls back in the early days being invited down by founder Lee Schrager, who asked the relative novice to fill in for an ailing Alton Brown to do a live demo in front a large crowd.
“I was petrified,” the culinary pro admits. “I was standing in for someone [as amazing as] Alton, who is a scientist. Oh man! It was so traumatic. I was so stressed. I remember sweating profusely and thinking I just need to get off this stage.”
These days, the TV personality takes things much more in stride, and her advice to young people wanting to get into the industry now is to relax.
“You kind of have to be up for adventure. You can’t always micromanage every step and write a business plan for your life. That’s the fun of it,” she said. “Make good decisions along the way, but you’re here for a journey. So just go on it and see where it takes you.”
The “Everyday Italian” author believes the silver lining of COVID is that it taught everyone a valuable lesson.
“If we learned everything from the pandemic is that we need to be flexible. We need to be able to pivot, and to be open-minded. Because it could all end today,” she said. “We went from a completely open world to shut down in our homes, for a long time. No one could have ever believed that could happen.”
