Lidia's Kitchen
originally aired on PBS
Lidia Giuliana Matticchio Bastianich was born February 21, 1947, in Pola, Istria, just before the city was assigned to Yugoslavia in September 1947. She fled to Trieste, Italy, during the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus, with her brother Franco and her mother on the pretense of visiting their sick aunt Nina, who was a personal chef. The family emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1958, arriving in North Bergen, New Jersey, and later settling in Astoria, Queens, in New York City. In 1971, the Bastianiches opened their first restaurant, the tiny Buonavia, meaning "good"