Giada De Laurentiis

Giada Pamela De Laurentiis, born Giada Pamela De Benedetti on August 22, 1970, is an Italian-American chef, entrepreneur, writer, and television personality. She is widely known for hosting Food Network programs such as Everyday Italian and Giada at Home, as well as appearing regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's Today. She is the founder of the catering business GDL Foods and the e-commerce platform Giadzy.com.

De Laurentiis was born in Rome, Italy, to actress Veronica De Laurentiis and actor-producer Alex De Benedetti. As a child, she spent significant time in her family's kitchen and at her maternal grandfather, film producer Dino De Laurentiis's restaurant, DDL Foodshow. Following her parents' divorce, she moved with her siblings to Southern California, adopting her mother's surname. She graduated from Marymount High School in Los Angeles and earned a bachelor's degree in social anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1996.

To pursue aspirations of becoming a pastry chef, De Laurentiis studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Upon returning to the United States, she worked in several Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, and later worked as a food stylist. After styling a feature for Food & Wine magazine in 2002, she was contacted by Food Network. Her daytime cooking program, Everyday Italian, debuted on April 5, 2003. She went on to host additional series for the network, including Behind the Bash in 2005 and Giada's Weekend Getaways in 2007.

Throughout her television career, De Laurentiis served as a host, judge, and mentor on numerous productions, including Food Network Star, The Next Food Network Star, and the special Giada in Paradise. She also expanded into voice acting, providing voices for characters on the animated series Handy Manny, the special Pixie Hollow Bake Off, and the film Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost. In February 2023, she signed a multi-year agreement to create and produce unscripted programming for Amazon Studios.

De Laurentiis has also established several retail and dining ventures. In 2010, she launched an exclusive line of kitchen supplies with Target, and in 2017, she established Giadzy.com to sell products and offer recipes and travel tips. She opened her first restaurant, GIADA, inside The Cromwell in Las Vegas in 2014, followed by Pronto by Giada at Caesars Palace and GDL Italian by Giada at the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, both opening in 2018.

As an author, De Laurentiis has published numerous cookbooks, including Everyday Italian, Giada's Family Dinners, and Eat Better, Feel Better. Two of her books, Giada at Home and Weeknights with Giada, reached the top spot on The New York Times Best Seller list. Her accomplishments have earned her a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host in 2008, a Gracie Award for Best Television Host, and Daytime Emmy Awards in 2020 for Outstanding Culinary Host and Outstanding Culinary Series for Giada Entertains.