In America, when one thinks of Italy, one thinks of food, and Lidia Bastianich’s food is Italian cuisine par excellence. On a cold and rainy afternoon in New York, we had the pleasure of meeting chef and TV personality, Lidia Bastianich, at her three star restaurant, Felidia. Our objective was to understand the role that sustainability and Made in Italy plays in her business. This interview is part of the “Business Italian Style II: Food Innovation, Sustainability, and Made in Italy” project.

Lidia Bastianich embodies the “American dream”– wanting it all and achieving it! She was born in Istria, a region with a strong Italian presence that was annexed by Communist Yugoslavia after World War II. Née Lidia Matticchio, she grew up with her grandmother on a farm. At age nine, she was forced to seek refuge with relatives in Italy for three years prior to emigrating to America with her family. She opened her first restaurant in 1971 in Queens and from there commenced a long and successful career.