Message from Giada – Book Tour

On March 30th I began my 3 week book tour, across the country, for the release of my 5th cookbook – Giada at Home. 15 states, 24 cities, and 28 signings later…. I’m still standing! Even though I was a little worried about the intensity of the book tour, I managed to successfully complete it without getting sick or too worn down. Other than a few misplaced bags, the only disappointment was my original flight to San Francisco being cancelled and having to reschedule that signing. I was so excited reading all the great tweets about the SF signing and hated to have to change the date; But, it ended up being a great signing and I’m just happy I was able to make it up there!

Book tours are a really special time for me because it’s when I get to talk to my fans one on one. It definitely requires long hours and can get tiring, but it is so worth it.

In New Jersey, Chicago, Florida and DC I was surprised by the amount of baby Giadas I got to meet! In New Jersey there were at least 5! They were all so precious.

The one thing that always brought a huge smile to my face was getting to meet all the little kids that came to see me. I was lucky enough to receive many drawings from the little chefs; since Jade doesn’t draw yet, I hung some of their pictures up on my fridge at home. They’re so cute!!

About half way through the tour, Todd came to visit me in North Carolina. It was nice having him there. It was the perfect time too because I was in NC for a couple days but only had 1 signing per day. The funniest thing about North Carolina was during my signing every person was either wearing UNC blue or Duke blue. They kept asking me who my favorite team was… but to this day I plead the 5th….

During my time off, Todd and I went to the spa and had some awesome dinners! One was at the Umstead Hotel restaurant and one was at a place called Lantern in Chapel Hill. Walking up it looks like any casual restaurant, but I was blown away by how good the food was. It was very gourmet with a fun ambiance and great wait-staff! If you are ever in Chapel Hill and need a good restaurant you should give it a try. The wok- seared wild mushroom sandpot was my favorite. Todd really enjoyed the Shaking beef. I definitely hope to make it back there sometime.

Since the tour has completed I have been enjoying spending a lot of time with Jade. I really really missed her while I was away. Since the weather in California has been so great, we have been going to the beach together for picnics. Todd comes with us too, well, when we can pull him away from his kite surfing!

I recently started filming season 5 of Giada at Home. It is going to be a very fun couple months with really exciting new episodes! I’ll tweet and let you know how it goes!

Message from Giada – Change

It still amazes me how quickly things can change in your life. I am about to go on tour for my 5th book release; I have a new line at target that I am super excited about; and, my baby girl, Jade is celebrating her 2nd birthday! I can’t believe how fast things have been happening.

Jade’s 2nd Birthday

I am so excited to celebrate Jade’s 2nd Birthday this weekend. She LOVES the beach and ocean so we are getting together with our family and closest friends for a beach birthday celebration. Jade loves Dora the Explorer so we will be having a Dora themed party with Dora balloons and decorations. Jade also loves to sing. It’s so cute – each night we will sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” together before bed and then I will hear her on the monitor singing herself to sleep. She’s just precious. I’m really excited to see her and her friends dance around and play together. We even ordered these really yummy donuts from Bob’s Coffee and Donuts at the Farmers Market at the Grove. They’re making really cute pink hearts. It’s really amazing how much she has grown in the last year. We just shot a special in Aspen and Jade got to see snow for the first time. We had so much fun sledding and making snowmen together! I can’t believe how quickly Jade is growing up. I’m so excited to see what she’ll do next.

Target

After many meetings and hard work, I have finally launched my own line at Target! It’s such an experience. It’s amazing how much time and work goes into creating your own products. Target has been a fantastic team to work with and I have been so happy with the results. The products that I am most proud of are my pastas, vinaigrettes and pasta sauces. They’re really my pride and joy. We went through many recipes and tested all different sauces until we came up with the best result. My other favorites of the collection are the Mezzaluna Knife, pasta scoop, red spatulas, wooden spoons, and the cream and white oval casserole dish. I especially love the colors and the special handles with a twist that are really easy to grip. Everything has been moving so fast. It seems like only yesterday that we were developing our product ideas; but, now every time I go to Target I see my products and I’m taken back a bit. It’s crazy. I hope that everyone is as happy with the products as I am.

Book Tour

I am really thrilled about my new book, Giada at Home: Family Recipes From Italy and California, because it’s the best of traditional Italian meals that I grew up with and my new favorite dishes that are Italian with a lighter, California flair. This book has some of my all time favorite recipes. For instance, my Pasta Ponza. The idea of Pasta Ponza came from a dinner my Aunt Raffy and I had at a family friend’s house in Ponza, which is an island off the west coast of Italy. It is so fresh and delicious. I am really excited for you all to try this recipe. I also love my Pea Pesto Crostini. It’s simple and really easy to make. It’s a great go- to recipe that never fails. Plus, it really looks beautiful on a platter! On March 29, I will be leaving LA to start my book tour. The tour will take me to many cities including NYC (for the Today Show), Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Vegas, Dallas, Chicago and much more. Book tour is very busy and tiring, but so much fun because I get to meet and talk to all of you! It’s a really special time for me. Please look over my book tour schedule and contact the stores directly for more information. I hope to see you there!

Book Tour Schedule ** Please Call The Store For More Details**

March 30 : William Sonoma : 1200 Morris Turnpike, Short Hills, NJ 07078 : 973.467.3641
Costco : 325 Promenade Blvd, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 : 732.584.1001

March 31 : Borders Westbury : 1260 Old Country Road, Westbury, NY 11590 : 516.683.8700
Stew Leonard’s : 100 Westport Ave, Norwalk, CT 06851 : 203.847.7214

April 1 : William Sonoma : 160 N. Gulph Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406 : 610.265.5970
William Sonoma : The Bellevue, 200 S. Broad St #M6, Philadelphia, PA 19102 : 215.545.7392

April 2 : BJ’s : 100 Corporate Drive, Franklin, MA 02038 : 508.553.9889

April 3 : Sur La Table : 1101 S. Joyce St, Ste B-20, Arlington, VA 22202 : 703.414.3580

April 5 : William Sonoma : 1001 S Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89145 : 702.938.9480
Sur La Table : 3663 S Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89145 : 702.732.2706

April 6 : William Sonoma : 12850 Memorial Drive Ste 420, Houston, TX 77024 : 713.827.8056
Sur La Table : 1996 West Gray, Houston, TX 77019 : 713.533.0400

April 7 : Sur La Table : 5809 Preston Rd, Ste 580, Plano Tx, 75093 : 972.378.5532
William Sonoma : 327 Northpark Center, Dallas, TX 75225 : 214.378.6216

April 8 : William Sonoma : 2398 E Sunrise Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304 : 954.565.3717
Sur La Table : 301 SW 145th Terrace, Pembroke Pines, FL, 33027 : 954.266.3510

April 9 : William Sonoma : 3500 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30326 : 404.812.1703
Sur La Table : 4400 Ashford0 Dunwoody Rd, Atlanta, GA 30346 : 678.441.9120

April 10: McIntyre’s : 220 Market Street, Pittsboro, NC 27312 : 919.545.5700

April 11: Barnes and Noble : 760 SE Maynard, Cary NC 27511 : 919.467.3866

April 12 : Unity Temple on the Plaza : 707 W. 47th Street, Kansas City, MO 64112 : 913.384. 7605

April 13 : Crate & Barrel : 35 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523 : 630.572.1300

April 14 : William Sonoma : 340 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94108 : 415.362.9450

April 23 : Costco : 1801 10th Ave NW, Issaquah, WA 98027 : 425.313.0965

April 29 : William Sonoma : 3333 South Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 : 714-751-1166

April 30 : William Sonoma : 1600 Montana Avenue , Santa Monica, CA 90403 : 310-586-1018

May 7 : William Sonoma : 3835 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 : 805-569-6912

May 8 : San Diego : Location TBD

For ideas on more ways to help, check out http://www.oxfamAmerica.org, a charity with whom I have donated a lot of my time.

And, Chefs for Humanity which was founded by my friend and fellow mother, Cat Cora http://www.chefsforhumanity.org

December 2009

Message from Giada – Adventure with Oxfam

In February 2009, I became an ambassador for Oxfam America. As an ambassador, I had the pleasure to travel with a group of Oxfam representatives to Peru for a weeklong journey. It was truly an amazing experience. Peru was unlike anywhere I had ever been.

Lima, the capital of Peru, is located on the west coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. While in Lima, I joined the local farmers at the Gastronomic Festival Mixtura. This festival is a huge farmers market full of many different local foods and dishes from Lima. The air was filled with some of the best smells ever. The bakers had their fresh baked breads made of quinoa, flaxseed and barley. We could sample them hot right out of the oven! There were beautiful chili relishes that were so colorful and spicy hot! The part that Todd would have LOVED was an area where they barbequed slabs of beef over open coals! You can see what I mean below. WOW, best BBQ beef ever!

After Lima, we traveled an hour and half by plane to Cusco. Cusco is a beautiful Spanish city, colonized by the Spaniards in 1533. It is located in the southeastern area of Peru- right near the Andes Mountains and the Urubamba (Sacred) Valley. It feels like a very European city in the midst of the stunning Andes Mountains. Cusco has a very high altitude of 11,000 feet above sea level! To help with the altitude, the locals drink Coca tea and chew its leaves. And, I did as the locals do! Coca leaves are used to make alkaloids like cocaine. Don’t worry, to get high you’d have to drink about 100 cups and chew an entire bush of the leaves!! My advice to you, if you ever want to travel to Cusco, go a few days early to acclimate yourself to the altitude so you don’t experience what I did- altitude sickness is not fun.

In Cusco, we visited the market of Huancaro. It was similar to the farmers markets that we have in that the US. Local farmers of surrounding areas come to the city and sell their goods. There were so many great ingredients to taste and see. For example, the many different varieties of quinoa, corn, potatoes, meats, and fruit. The corn… was… amazing. The kernels were the size of quarters. They were slightly starchier that our normal corn but so huge and delicious.

I also went to other small markets in the area that had all sorts of crafts and trinkets. The local artisans would sell cute knit booties, gloves, hats, ponchos, and rugs that were so vibrant and beautiful. These artisans, the Quechuans, are descendants of the Incas. The colors that they use for their work are the most vibrant colors you’ve ever seen and mostly organic. They use fruits and vegetables as dyes. The artisans also sell beautiful jewelry and rings made of large stones from the Andes. Because there is a lot of mining in the area, they also use lots of gold and silver too. Shopping in the area was awesome. I found a lot of great gifts to bring home! It’s like a bazaar- so many different shops.

In Cusco, we were able to visit many local farmers. There is a huge network of women farmers. Frequently, the Quechuan men seek out jobs in the city while the women are left behind to tend to the farms; or, in other instances there are women farmers who have either lost their husbands or inherited their father’s land. They all work together and help each other find ways to farm and produce items that don’t require a lot of manual labor. They grow herbs, fruits and flowers that are a light and delicate which makes it easier to carry from their homes.

After Cusco, we made the 60 minute bus ride to the Sacred Valley where we visited the Park of the Potato. It’s an area that consists of seven peasant communities also known as “comunidades campesinas.” In the world, there are about 5,000 different varieties of potatoes. The Park of the Potato is home to over 1,300 varieties. The ladies in the Quechean village cooked us a delicious lunch of…

1. Boiled potatoes that were sprinkled with salt and topped with a lemony, herby pesto like sauce.
2. Fried potatoes topped with fresh oregano and corn
3. Potato soup

Yes… it was potatoes all the way. But because they all have different flavors and textures, it felt like a well- balanced meal.

We learned about how they harvested the potatoes and about their struggle to adapt the different varieties of potatoes to the constantly changing climate of the Andes (because of global warming). If they are unable to figure out how to adapt their techniques, a huge portion of the world’s potato farming will be drastically affected; and, the Peruvian economy will suffer severely. And for all you potato lovers (like I am), this means potatoes would become very expensive.

Machu Picchu rests on a mountain ridge above the Urbamba Valley in Peru- about 50 miles northwest of Cusco. It is also known as the Lost City of the Incas. This was an exciting day. We started off by taking a train through the Andes Mountains. It was so spectacular in the train because not only were there windows all around us, but in the ceiling too. We could see the snow- capped Andes, which were breath- taking. We were dropped off in Ollantaytambo. Then we walked about 200 yards and hop on a 15 – 20 minute bus ride up a very windy, steep mountain. (And guess what… no guard rails.) We hiked another 10 minutes and ended up on top of the world at Machu Picchu. It was magnificent…and left us speechless. It should be on everybody’s bucket list, it’s that great!

I was exhausted after Machu Picchu. There was a lot of hiking and walking and it was hot and emotional (I know it sounds weird, but it was! Maybe because it was a lost city and you could feel the Incan energy…) My last day in the Andes I visited a place called Piuray Lake where I met with Chef Gonzalo Angosto and Chef Pio Vásquez de Velasco to prepare a traditional Peruvian feast called a pachamanca.

A pachamanca is similar to a clambake in that they dig a hole, heat river rocks, layer food on top and let it cook in the earth. To keep the food from burning on the hot rocks, they place plantain leaves on then. It’s like a buffer from the heat for the food. Then, you layer the food on top of the leaves- the food that took the longest to cook was placed in the bottom of the hole and then everything else was piled on top. We cooked eight different varieties of potatoes, chicken, lamb, Peruvian sausages, whole pineapples, plantains, corn, and other vegetables. To finish it off, we added herbs, water and wine. It was then sealed with large locally made ponchos and leaves! The food then steamed for about 30 – 40 minutes. Traditionally, pachamancas were an Incan ritual to thank the Gods for their fruitfulness. Everything was delicious! But, I was most surprised by the intense smoky flavor of the whole cooked pineapple. It was soo sweet and juicy. I still dream about it.

I’d say my top 5 memories of Peru are the following:

1. The landscape was amazing. It was cool to see how different it was throughout Peru. There are three core components to Peru’s landscape. The coast that is a lot like LA- a large desert with valleys in between. Lima, for instance is a valley surrounded by the desert. Then, there is the Andes with its beautiful mountains and valleys. As the base of the mountain, the Amazon rainforest starts. All this variety creates the most beautiful landscape: beaches to snowy mountains to relatively dense forest in a small space. However, this creates a lot of difficulties for communication. Traveling from one place to another takes 3 – 4 times longer due to the mountains. The terrain, with its steep mountains and ever changing rivers makes it very difficult to build highways. The geography has influenced the products grown in the country. It is due to the way the local people adapt to the ever-changing geography that we can enjoy what they produce! Oxfam is working to facilitate better communication between the regions.
2. The Quinoa… It was so beautiful and came in black, red and brown. It has a delicious nutty flavor. I’ve been searching high and low to find that again!
3. The children… They were so cute, sweet and have the most beautiful smiles.
4. Guinea pig… it’s a local dish in Peru that we would rarely think of eating here. The traditional way to prepare guinea pig is to take the hair off (it’s like plucking the feathers off a chicken) and cook the whole thing in a very hot oven. I had it shredded with a grain that was like a mix between mashed potatoes and polenta. It tasted like lean chicken. You’d never know it was guinea pig!
5. By far, the most incredible and touching thing to see was how happy the local farmers were. They are truly content and proud people who want to keep the traditions of their ancestors alive.

Thanks to Lyndsay and Laura from Oxfam and Christine for making my trip to Peru a great experience. It’s something I’ll never forget. Happy Holidays Everyone!!

XO, Giada

Buy any 4 items and get one signed DVD of Giada at Home Season 1 PLUS a limited production black apron for FREE (while supplies last).

]]> http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/2009/10/15/special-offer-2/feed/ 0 http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/2009/10/15/giada-at-home-season-3/ http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/2009/10/15/giada-at-home-season-3/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:33:46 +0000 Diana http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/?p=428 Don’t Miss GIADA AT HOME Season 3 Premiere  - Saturday October 17th at 1 pm est/pst!! 

TIME : 12 – 2 pm

LOCATION : Williams-Sonoma South Coast Plaza
3333 South Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 751-1166

Join us at the Costa Mesa Williams-Sonoma store for a special book signing event as Giada De Laurentiis signs copies of her cookbook, Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites.

William – Sonoma book signings are a unique opportunity to meet leading chefs and authors, get signed copies of the latest cookbooks, and take home fresh new ideas for cooking and entertaining.
We hope to see you there!

Please note: Space is limited to the first 500 customers. Please visit or call our Costa Mesa location to purchase books and secure your ticket. Giada will only be signing copies of Giada’s Kitchen purchased at Williams-Sonoma. Proof of purchase required.