FAMILY TREE
Giada was born in Rome in 1970. Her grandfather was legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis—the man behind such films as Fellini's La Strada, Serpico, Ragtime and Dune.
FINDING HER PASSION
Giada's parents were none to excited about her plans to skip college for culinary school. To compromise, Giada got her degree in social anthropology from UCLA and then skipped a plane to Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu.
CAMERA SHY
"I never was an extrovert. My friends and family were very surprised when this career took off...they said 'Giada is on TV?'"
BEAUTY'S PROS AND CONS
"Being attractive in this industry has its perks and its downsides. I feel like you can cook and be good at it and still look good. But people didn't take me seriously, especially at the beginning of my career."
THREE'S COMPANY
Giada is married to Anthroplogie designer Todd Thompson. Their daughter, Jade Marie, was born in March 2008 and is now a frequent guest star on Everyday Italian. Jade is the English translation for "Giada."
