Giada De Laurentiis holds a pitcher of hibiscus iced tea aloft in the afternoon sun. She looks more like a Roman goddess than an L.A. hostess, thanks to her long coral silk dress and upswept bun. But before the immortal image can fully take hold, she grins wickedly and announces to the casual backyard gathering of her friends and family: "Hey, everyone, this is spiked!" Then a moment later, she adds, "Oh, and be careful, because hibiscus tea stains! Trust me." Leave it to Giada to nudge herself off a pedestal. It's that very down-to-earth quality that has made this Food Network star, 38, welcome in living rooms and worshipped in kitchens ever since her cooking show Everyday Italian debuted in 2003. Six years later, she has written four books, hosted three more cooking and travel programs, and even nabbed a Daytime Emmy. She's also known to show up on the final hour of NBC's Today from time to time.
It's hard to believe that as a child, Giada used to hide behind an apron because she was so shy. Born in Rome, the oldest of four, she left Italy with her family when she was 8 to live in New York, then Los Angeles, near her famous film-producer grandfather, Dino De Laurentiis. (He's now 90, and family holidays still take place at his roost.) She studied anthropology in school but had a change of heart after college and trained at the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Stints at restaurants such as Spago and as a private chef followed before she made the leap to TV.
Her newest show, Giada at Home, best captures her state of mind these days. The theme is low-key, California-style entertaining for loved ones, which perfectly suits Giada's relaxed lifestyle. She and her husband, fashion designer Todd Thompson, love to throw alfresco dinner parties, especially in the summertime, at their home near Malibu. The pair have been married for seven years. "I'm the one who runs out to the store at the last minute and then does the dishes at the end of the night," says Todd, stopping by the couch where we're sitting. "It's the least I can do." How about the couple's 1-year-old daughter, Jade? "She sits on my hip when I cook," Giada answers with a smile. "And there's such amazement in her eyes."
Their parties, including today's, are all about making time to be together. On this warm afternoon, Giada, Todd, her sister, Eloisa, and a few pals gather on the patio to feast on prosciutto-wrapped veggies, mini meatballs, and shrimp cocktail as the sun starts to set. "My friends are my guinea pigs when I entertain," Giada whispers, eyes glued to her friends' faces for reactions. "I'm always asking, 'What do you think?'" Here, Giada tells us what shethinks about everything from her worst kitchen disaster to her new life attitude as a mom.
Growing up, was cooking a big part of your family life? Did you have any food traditions?
Sunday was a big day for us all to hang out and cook. The house was always loud and overflowing with people. The experience of being open-minded to food and how to prepare it comes from my time with my family: Speed and simplicity are probably from my mom. The creativeness in cooking, the exploration, is through my aunt. And the passion is really from my grandfather. Everybody had a different role.
Your grandfather is a film legend. Was your upbringing very Hollywood?
Arnold Schwarzenegger and [director] David Lynch came over a lot, and we would have these dinners that went on for hours and hours. All the kids would get bored, but David Lynch did play cards with us. I remember when Drew Barrymore came over once — she was a little younger than I was — and we ran around the place and played hide-and-seek.
Originally, your grandfather didn't want you to be a chef. What does he think now?
He is so proud. But he discouraged me at first because he felt like it was a man's world. He said, "It certainly isn't glamorous for someone who's petite. You can't carry those pots." And I figured, Well, why should that stop me? I can work just as hard as a man. When you love to do something, you just do it.
What made you decide to start a family?
One of my younger brothers was diagnosed with skin cancer at 29 and passed away not too long after that. We were very close. He always wanted to have children, but he didn't get to. And after he died, I remember thinking, You know, maybe there's a place in my heart for someone else other than all the people I already have in my life. I know I was very afraid.... My brother's passing made me afraid, I think because I was afraid that we could have a child and lose him or her too. I didn't know if I could go through that kind of pain with anybody else the way I did with my brother. So for a while, I was very down on the whole idea. I thought, I don't want to have any more relationships. I don't want to have anybody that close to me. But a few years later, I thought, If I never have a child, that might be the saddest thing for me.
Did becoming a mom change your outlook on life?
Well, it definitely changed my workload. Ha! But at the end of the day, I think I was more selfish before I had Jade. Kids help you become more compassionate. I joined the charity Oxfam, which helps to improve kids' lives all over the world. I realized that I wanted this world to be better. I stopped thinking of just my own mortality; I started thinking about the life we're leaving for someone else.
Has your cooking routine changed?
Jade and I cook together. She crawls around me in the kitchen. Now she's at a point where she wants to see what's happening, so I pick her up. I give her little tastes of the food and she's like, "Mmm!" Sometimes there's nothing on the spoon and she still goes, "Mmm!"
Jade also makes appearances on the new show. How is she handling fame so far?
Oh, she's not shy. She loves people taking pictures of her. She did an episode of one of my shows where she was in a high chair, and she loves the camera. She smiles on cue already!
Would it break your heart if Jade turned out to be a finicky eater?
I think so, but she's not fussy. She loves grilled lamb chops and eats quinoa. My sister has a fussy eater. I always tell her, "If you make vegetables in a boring way, he's not going to eat them." So now she melts a little Fontina cheese, and her little boy dips the broccoli in the cheese. You have to make food fun.
See what's on the menu at Giada's house and check out her favorite recipes!
What was the first recipe you learned?
Pizza dough. I was 5. I would move the flour around to make a well, and then I'd break the eggs and put them in the middle, and my mom would slowly put in the flour and salt. I'm excited to teach Jade how to bake cookies. Beating the eggs together will be fun.
You and Todd have been together almost 20 years. What's the secret?
In the beginning, I was there to help him in his career. Now he's where he wants to be, and he helps me in mine. I think it's such a wonderful evolution of a relationship. And it's so cool how we can kind of divvy it up. You know, most men want to be in the limelight and have the woman take care of them. You have to balance that. There have to be times where it's about Todd, when I'm Todd's wife and that's just who I am at that moment. And then there are times when it's about me.
You always manage to look sexy when you cook.
I think it's okay to cook and be sexy. Why not? I do get a lot of e-mails from people, especially women, saying to me, "You don't have to show cleavage to get the male audience." I don't. That's just how my body type is, and I'm very comfortable with what I have.
How do you stay fit, surrounded by so much food? Small portions. And when it comes to pasta or things that are very filling, I find that after three or four bites, I often don't need to eat much more. But I will tell you that there are times where I cannot control myself. It's usually with sweets, chocolate especially.
Really? How bad is it?
I eat raw brownie batter.
How would you describe your entertaining style?
It's simple, California chic. I don't believe that you have to have all the same glasses and plates. It's okay to mix and match: Todd makes clothes, and he'll take extra fabric from dresses and make napkins out of the scraps.
Do you have an entertaining motto?
Use what you've got. I like to make arrangements with lots of lemons and oranges, or I take toothpicks and make a fruit sculpture. Use whatever is in the fridge or pantry. I also want to make my job easier; I've started to ask friends and family to bring things too. I never would have done that before. I always thought I could do everything by myself.
When people drop by, do you feel compelled to feed them?
Yes. I keep cookie dough in the freezer, and I can bake them off in eight minutes. I also have a little garden with baby strawberries on my front lawn. Kids love to pick them.
How does your entertaining style change once summer hits?
We spend a lot more time outside. I love the fresh air. And when people make a mess, it's a lot easier to clean up. My backyard is set up with a barbecue area, a sink, and a fridge. I have couches and tables set up around a little fire pit, and we have these great woven pillows out there for people to sit on. I have created a nice ambiance outside.
What kinds of things do you change or add to your menu in the summer?
I use a lot more citrus and colors. The sun makes people crave something a little bit lighter. Caprese salads [with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil] are wonderful. Fresh fruits are wonderful, and I use a lot more fresh, raw vegetables. Everything has more flavor in summer, so all of a sudden you can eat things that are fresh and you don't have to doctor them up with a lot of salt or any other kind of seasoning.
Do you live by a list when you're throwing a party?
I do. I usually post all the things I need to do on my computer, and then I'll check them off. And I always make a list when I go the grocery store. Always. I think it's important to pick recipes that you can prep ahead of time. You should only have one or two things to do on the day of the party.
Do you ever have theme parties?
I like to have feel-good parties. I have my girlfriends over for a light breakfast and we do makeovers. My friend who is a makeup artist does their brows and shows them how to apply certain things. I give everyone lip glosses or new eyeshadows as presents, and we experiment.
What's been one of your worst disasters in the kitchen?
When I was a private chef, I had a very scary Thanksgiving. My clients had a very big dog who was always two steps away from me. So I had this huge turkey surrounded by everything on a platter, and I was carrying it to the table. The dog was in front of me, but I couldn't see over the turkey. So I tripped over the dog. There went the turkey and the platter and everything else. And of course the dog got the turkey. I was so humiliated, I just wanted to run out the door.
What skills from the kitchen do you apply to life in general?
Cooking teaches you to improvise, and that's important in life. I think I have learned to go with the flow more now, and I don't have to be so regimented or controlling. If a new recipe doesn't work out exactly how I wrote it, I am more relaxed about it.
What's next for you?
My grandfather used to have a gourmet shop-restaurant. I'd like to do that. But I'd also love to live abroad with Jade. Todd and I have talked about Paris or Rome. I didn't plan on having this career, I just rode the wave. And now I'm contemplating where it leads.
People talk about a fierce rivalry between you and Rachael Ray.
Do we hang out all the time? No. Are we best friends? No. But if you're not best friends, people assume that you hate each other. We laugh about it! We do these festivals together, and she'll say to me, "Oh, we'd better take a picture together and smile, because if we don't, God only knows what's going to get written about us." She's a lovely person.
If you could ask anyone from Food Network to prepare your last meal, who would it be and what would you request?
Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. She makes this chocolate espresso cake with this special sea salt, and there's caramel in it too. Espresso, caramel, and chocolate. It has that perfect combination of sweet-salt smooth, sticky but rich, fudgy kind of flavor. That would be my last meal. That's all I would want.
Describe your perfect day off.
I wake my daughter up and I'm able to actually feed her breakfast — because a lot of days I don't have time. While she naps, I do some kind of workout and then get her up from her nap because that's actually the best time to see her. She's so happy that it just melts my heart. Then I have lunch with my friends and go to the grocery store in the afternoon. I make Todd and Jade dinner and just keep it very simple. I like to be home.
Wait. Did you just say you want to cook dinner on your day off?
Yes! In fact, just a little while ago, I was asking Todd, "So what do you want later for dinner?" Being in the kitchen — cooking or baking — just makes me feel good all around, and I think that's why I do it. That's why we're here. We're here to feel good and to make other people feel good.
See what's on the menu at Giada's house and check out her favorite recipes!
