Born in Rome, she comes from a lineage of food innovators.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Giada De Laurentiis is an Emmy Award-winning celebrity chef who has become a household name synonymous with the bright, breezy flavors of Italian cooking. Her signature restaurant, Luna by Giada, is located at Caesars Republic Scottsdale — a setting that perfectly bridges her past and her future. The name “Luna” is a tribute to Giada’s grandmother.
“My grandmother was a big influence on my life,” Giada said. “She was the one who taught us about the moon as children. We used to call her ‘Nonna Luna’ instead of her actual name. That’s where the inspiration came from.”
The restaurant also pays homage to her grandfather, prolific film producer Dino De Laurentiis. While movie posters from his 60-year career line the walls, Giada says her most cherished memories of him aren’t from the silver screen — they’re from the kitchen.
“When I was little, he’d make pizza dough and give me and my siblings all the little toppings so we could make our own,” she said with a smile. “The creativity of that — the ability to taste as I went along — blew my mind. For me, that’s where the passion started.”
Giada’s culinary roots run deeper than a backyard pizza oven. Born in Rome, she comes from a lineage of food innovators. Long before her grandfather entered the movie business, his family owned a pasta factory in Naples. She explained how the unique climate of the region shaped their craft.
“They would make fresh pasta and hang it on the rooftops. Because of the way the Mediterranean trade winds cross that area, it dries the pasta with a salty, rough edge. That texture is what allows it to grab onto the sauce so well,” she said.
While she has long been a staple of the Las Vegas Strip, Giada expanded her empire to Arizona in 2024 with the opening of Luna and the fast-casual Pronto by Giada. For her, Scottsdale felt like a natural fit.
“It mimics a lot of my lifestyle in California. It’s light and sunny,” she said. “There’s a ton of foodies here who really want quality and an amazing Italian experience.”
Guests at Luna can now experience that quality firsthand through a new interactive pasta cart — part of her spring menu — though some things remain sacred. Her wildly popular Lemon Pizza isn’t going anywhere.
Between her restaurants, her products through Giadzy, her TV and online shows, and her numerous cookbooks, Giada is a woman who is constantly “on.” When asked what she is most proud of in her storied career, though, she didn’t point to an Emmy or a bestseller. She pointed to her daughter, Jade.
“I will be completely honest. I did not envision myself with kids,” Giada admitted. “I was incredibly scared because I knew it would impact my life. It was a little curveball, but the best curveball that has ever happened to me. It made me grow in ways I never knew were possible.”
As Jade prepares to head off to college, Giada is focusing on a new kind of recipe: the perfect balance of career and motherhood.
“I want to prioritize being with her,” she said.
So what’s next for Giada? Between sourcing new products in Italy and working on her next cookbook, she is preparing to open another restaurant in Chicago this June. Fans can also keep up with her daily life and recipes through her independent YouTube series, “Everyday Giada.”
To see the full interview, visit the streaming platform on 12+.
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Dining and Cooking