About Giada // FAQ
About Giada and Cooking | About the Shows
Frequently Asked Questions (About Giada and Cooking)
1. How is it possible to be a chef and stay in such great shape?
I have to say that this is by far the question I am most frequently asked, and my answer is always the same: genetics, portion control and fresh ingredients. If you’ve ever seen my mother either on the show or in photographs, you’ll notice that she is quite petite, trim. So I have her to thank for getting me off to a good start. In addition, I’ve never been one to sit down to a meal with a large plate of food and eat every morsel until I was uncomfortably full. Rather, I graze – eating small portions of food all day long. And the ingredients are clean and fresh. Yes, I absolutely love chocolate, and I do eat it but just a bite.
2. Why did you decide to become a chef?
I grew up in the kitchen, mostly with my grandfather, my mother and my aunt Raffy. My grandfather’s family used to own a pasta factory in Naples and they would go door-to-door selling their pasta. So his love of food came from his parents, which was then passed down to my mother and then again to me. Some of my best memories growing up are being in the kitchen with my family cooking. I also spent time at my grandfather Dino’s gourmet store, DDL Foodshow, where he brought in chefs from Naples to cook. I thought of them as rock stars. I loved being there, and that made me decide to become a chef.
3. Who are your inspirations?
Definitely my grandfather, my mom and my aunt Raffy. They’ve all taught me something about Italian cooking: tradition, simplicity and creativity, respectively.
4. Where did you go to culinary school?
Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.
5. What pantry items do you consider essential to Italian cooking?
There aren’t a lot but having these will definitely help make a variety of dishes and ensure they’re delicious. They are: extra-virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, red pepper flakes, assorted dry pasta in various shapes, canned cannelloni beans, canned Italian tuna packed in olive oil, marinara sauce (if you choose not to make your own – but make sure the first ingredient is tomatoes and not sugar!), dried herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme and herbes de Provence), vinegars (balsamic, red and white), onions (red, Spanish, Vidalia), and capers.
6. Where is the necklace you always wear with the 4 – strands from?
This necklace was a gift from my husband, Todd. It is a custom made necklace. It has four separate strands with three white gold strands with diamonds and one pink gold strand with diamonds. You can make your own at Tiffany and Co by purchasing “diamonds by the yard.”
7. What type of nail polish do you wear?
I wear OPI Bubble Bath
8. I’m trying to plan a trip to Italy, where do you recommend I go?
On my website, I have a list of all my favorite places- anywhere from Los Angeles to Rome. Check that out for some great ideas!
9. What type of knives do you use?
I use Global knives from www.sointuusa.com.
10. Where do you get all your cute clothes?
My husband works with Anthropologie so a lot of my clothes come from there!
11. Where can I get an autographed book?
You can actually purchase an autographed book under the “shop” section of this website.
12. What Italian Markets do you recommend?
Bay Cities is a great market off Lincoln and Santa Monica in Los Angeles. Also, Guidi Marcello in Santa Monica.
13. What type of make-up do you use?
For foundation I use Chantecaille and Jouer make-up; for eyes, I typically use Bobbi Brown or Jouer.; for lip gloss, I use Shu Uemura.
15. How do you do your hair?
I use Velcro rollers and touch up with a barrel curling iron.
16. What are your favorite cooking gadgets?
I have a few favorites… Microplanes are great for grating cheeses and zesting citrus. OXO has a fabulous hand held colander scoop for draining pasta. I also love multi- colored silicon spatulas and wooden spoons from Le Creuset.
17. Now that you have a daughter, are you going to write a cookbook for kids?
I am unsure of whether or not I will be writing an entire cookbook devoted to children; however, in my most recent cookbook Giada’s Kitchen, there is a section for kids!
18. I am looking for a recipe but I can’t figure out what book it is in? Do you have a recipe index of all your recipes?
Yes! On this website under the “recipe” section there is a list of all my recipes from all my books. Next to each recipes is the book that you can find it in.
19. Do you measure herbs before or after you chop them? Also, garlic cloves, when you buy a head some cloves are very large and some small. Unless a recipe specifically calls for a large clove which size should you generally use?
Yes, you do chop herbs and measure them. Garlic cloves do come in a range of sizes, I think that recipes say a clove in general meaning the mid size. However, if you like garlic, I’d use the bigger clove and if you don’t you could use the small. When a recipe calls for two cloves, I use one larger and one smaller. But it kind of relates to your own personal preference.
20. What is your favorite cuisine other than Italian?
Definitely Japanese. I love how clean and refined the dishes are. They’re simple in their ingredients but the flavors and presentation are typically amazing. Second would be Chinese.
Frequently Asked Questions (About Giada At Home // Everyday Italian)
1. Is G@H filmed at Giada’s house?
No, we film in a studio and in a rented house.
2. Where are you cutting boards from?
Edward Wohl of Edward Wohl Woodworking and Design designed the beautiful cutting boards. Their website is www.edwardwohl.com
3. Where is the three – tiered tray on the back of your counter from?
It is a custom made product courtesy of Sandy Chilewich. Their website is www.chilewich.com
4. Where is the beautiful Glassware from?
Sustainable glassware and dishes, bowls & cutting boards courtesy of Simon Pearce. Their website is www.simonpearce.com
5. Where is the painting in the background from that says AMORE?
Original abstract paintings were created by Darren Quinn of Paia, Hawaii. His website is www.Darrenquinn.com
6. Where is the salt and pepper container with the wooden lid from?
Adding extra touches of Italian elegance and style, features limited edition Murano glass art works, sterling silver vases, fine porcelain table top pieces, hand-blown Murano drinking glasses and sterling silver cutlery, courtesy of Micucci. This includes the salt and pepper containers, dishes and many other props on the show. The website is www.micuccicollection.com
7. Where are the home furnishings from?
Giada at Home furnishings feature the elegant simplicity of Italian design courtesy of the Montanari group. Their website is www.montanarigroup.com
8. Where are the linens from?
Linens for (Giada at Home) courtesy of Dwell Studio. Their website is www.dwellstudio.com
9. Where are all the leather kitchen and table decorations from?
Leather kitchen and table decor products by Cuvee Kitchen Apparel. Their website is www.cuveekitchenapparel.com
10. Where are the stainless steel canisters in the pantry from?
A lot of the kitchen culinary products are from Crate and Barrel. Their website is www.crateandbarrel.com
11. Where is the nylon shopping bag from?
Neiman Marcus
12. Where can I find the beautiful pottery/ ceramic canisters from the show?
They are from Simon Pearce.
13. Where are the white ceramic pots from that you often use on your show?
They are cast-iron products from Le Creuset. They can be found at a variety of stores such as William Sonoma and Sur La Table. The braising pan and French ovens are fantastic.
14. Where is the cute, small stainless steel strainer from with the little legs?
It is from El Segundo California in a store called Sai Kai. Unfortunately, the strainer was bought a long time ago and the store has since closed.
15. What type of food processor do you recommend?
I recommend Cuisinart.
16. What type of pans do you use?
All- Clad
17. What type of oil do you use?
I use my oil! You can purchase it through our “shop” tab.
18. What type of blender do you use.
It’s a Breville blender.
19. Where are the plates from Moroccan Magic from?
They’re from Tabriz by L’onjects.
20. Where is Everyday, Italian filmed?
It was filmed in a rented house in Los Angeles, California.
21. Where are the white and blue ceramic measuring spoons from?
They are from Anthropologie.
22. Where are the pastel measuring cups from?
These are a few years old from Anthropologie.
23. What is the name of the bakery in France where you can order bread and have it shipped to you?
It’s a bakery in Paris called Poilane.
24. Who were the guests on the “Food and Fashion” episode of Giada at Home?
Jewelry: Jaimie Geller – www.jaimiegellerjewelry.com
Clothes: Olive U – www.oliveu.com
Shoes: Calleen Cordero – www.calleencordero.com
25. What is the name of the shoe store that Giada goes to in Rome on Weekend Getaways?
It’s called Dal Co.
26. Where is the ceramic egg dish from?
It’s from Anthropologie.
