Beloved TV Personality Lidia Bastianich Comes To The Music Hall

Bestselling cookbook author, award-winning television personality, and successful restaurateur Lidia Bastianich comes to The Music Hall as part of the Writers on a New England Stage series on Tuesday, March 12. She will discuss her new memoir, MY AMERICAN DREAM: A Life of Love, Family, and Food, which recounts her journey from idyllic childhood to refugee, and onward to culinary fame.

The 7pm event includes an author presentation followed by an onstage interview with Peter Biello, host of New Hampshire Public Radio's broadcast of All Things Considered and The Bookshelf, an ongoing NHPR segment featuring authors from around New Hampshire and the region. Guests will leave with two of Lidia's recipes in hand- one of her old favorites and something new.

"Every legend has an origin story, and Lidia's does not disappoint," said Biello. "I look forward to learning more about the flavors of her Italian childhood, and the extraordinary transformation she made from refugee to the embodiment of American opportunity."

For decades, beloved chef Lidia Bastianich has introduced Americans to Italian food through her cookbooks, TV shows, and restaurants. Now, in MY AMERICAN DREAM, she tells her own story for the very first time.

Born in Pula, on the Istrian peninsula where Italy borders Croatia and Slovenia, Lidia grew up surrounded by love and security, learning the art of Italian cooking from her beloved grandmother. But when Istria was annexed by a communist regime, Lidia's family fled to Trieste, where they spent two years in a refugee camp waiting for visas to enter the United States. When she finally arrived in New York, Lidia soon began working in restaurants, the first step on a path that led to her becoming one of the most revered chefs and businesswomen in the country.

Heartwarming, deeply personal, and powerfully inspiring, MY AMERICAN DREAM is the story of Lidia's close-knit family and her dedication and endless passion for food.

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is an Emmy Award-winning public television host and best-selling author of eleven cookbooks and three children's books. She is the chef/owner of four acclaimed New York City restaurants-Felidia, Becco, Esca, and Del Posto. With her daughter, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, she operates Lidia's Pittsburgh and Lidia's Kansas City. She runs Becco, Esca and Del Posto with her son, Joe Bastianich. She opened Eataly, the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace, in New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and São Paulo, Brazil, with Joe and others. She is also, with Tanya, co-founder and president of Tavola Productions and has her own pasta and sauce line sold nationwide.

Tickets for Writers on a New England Stage: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich with MY AMERICAN DREAM on Tuesday, March 12, at 7pm are $13.75. For each 1-2 tickets sold, the purchase of a book voucher ($17 paperback) is required. Vouchers can be redeemed on the event night for signed copies of MY AMERICAN DREAM. Seating for this event is reserved. Packages can be purchased online at TheMusicHall.org, over the phone at 603.436.2400, or in person at the B2W Box Office at the Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut Street.

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