In praise of Lidia By Marialisa CaltaWhen it comes to TV food stars, Rachael Ray may rule the roost, but my heart belongs to Lidia.
Lidia Bastianich looks like good cooks used to look before the days of Botox, liposuction and the Wonderbra. She has chubby hands, short, thinning hair and a face made welcoming by years of living. She seems refreshingly unselfconscious on her PBS shows, which include “Lidia’s Italy.” Most important, she speaks with the authority that comes from time well spent in the kitchen.
Lidia was born in 1947 in a town named Istria, near Venice, which is now part of Croatia. When she turned 12, she moved to New York with her family. Her mother went to work in a bakery, and Lidia was frequently called upon to get dinner on the family table. After marriage came children and a restaurant. The rest, as they say, is history.
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