Giada De Laurentiis life and biography

Giada De Laurentiis is an Italian American chef, writer, television personality, and the host of the current Food Network program Giada at Home. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's Today. De Laurentiis is the founder of the catering business GDL Foods.

Giada Pamela De Laurentiis was born in Rome, Italy, the eldest child of actress Veronica De Laurentiis and her first husband, actor-producer Alex De Benedetti; De Benedetti was a close associate of Giada's grandfather, film producer Dino De Laurentiis. Her parents were married in February 1970 but were later divorced. After their parents' divorce, Giada and her siblings moved to Southern California where they took their mother's surname.

Her maternal grandmother was Italian film star Silvana Mangano. Her siblings include sister Eloisa, a makeup artist, and brothers Dino Alexander (a Hollywood film editor who died of melanoma in 2003) and Igor. Her stepfather is producer Ivan Kavalsky.

De Laurentiis graduated from Marymount High School in Los Angeles and holds a bachelor's degree in social anthropology from UCLA (1996).

On May 25, 2003, she married Todd Thompson, a fashion designer for Anthropologie. The two had been dating since July 1989. The couple's first child, Jade Marie De Laurentiis Thompson, was born on March 29, 2008.

De Laurentiis, dubbed "a petite powerhouse" by Town & Country magazine, stands "just under five foot two."

Giada's career start on Food Network began in 2002 when she was discovered by a network executive upon reading an article about her and the De Laurentiis family in FOOD & WINE magazine. Since then, Giada has earned an Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Host and has become one of Food Network's most recognizable faces. Her Emmy award winning, daytime cooking show, "Everyday Italian," featured quick, healthy and satisfying Italian dishes. Her primetime show, "Giada's Weekend Getaways," debuted in January 2007 and followed Giada to popular destinations in and around the United States as she explored the cities' most notable restaurants and activities. Giada can also be seen in Food Network specials, such as "Giada in Paradise: Capri and Santorini," and as a judge on the highly popular series, "Next Food Network Star." Giada is now in production on her new series, "Giada at Home," where Giada plans and prepares meals and parties for family and friends. The series premiered last Fall to some of the networks most impressive ratings to date and continues to be a viewers' favorite.

The foray into cookbooks was an obvious decision, allowing Giada's loyal viewership to reference, prepare and share their favorite recipes. De Laurentiis' first book, "Everyday Italian," showcases many of the delicious recipes from her cooking show of the same name. Her second book entitled, "Giada's Family Dinners," quickly became a #1 New York Times best-seller as did her third cookbook, "Everyday Pasta," which was released in April 2007. An eagerly-awaited fourth book, "Giada's Kitchen," hit bookshelves on September 30, 2008 and did not disappoint. In the first week of release, "Giada's Kitchen" landed at #2 on the New York Times best-seller list and has maintained a top 10 ranking ever since. All four books are published by Random House/Clarkson Potter. De Laurentiis' fifth book, "Giada at Home" debuted on March 30th, 2010 and landed in the #1 position on the New York Times best-seller list.

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