NOW ENTERTAINMENT Nov. 23 Month 00- -29, 00,2025 2023
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Lidia Bastianich share meals and conversation with Americans making a difference in “Lidia Celebrates America: A Nation of Neighbors,” premiering Tuesday, Nov. 25, on PBS. Lidia Bastianich hosts “Lidia Celebrates America: A Nation of Neighbors”
Cover Story Give thanks to ‘Neighbors’: Bastianich celebrates American communities By Dana Simpson Lidia Bastianich is a woman of many talents. In addition to a successful 27 years hosting cooking shows on PBS, the Italian-born chef is a real people person. For those who have followed her career over the past three decades, this proclamation of sociality is unlikely to come as a surprise, but for those who have jumped on the Bastianich bandwagon recently — or for those who happily stumbled across one of her specials on a cozy day in front of the television — yes, she really does care as much as it seems. Since 2011, Bastianich has been showing her appreciation for the country she calls home in a series titled “Lidia Celebrates America” on PBS. Having covered everything from culturally significant holiday traditions and wedding ceremonies to the importance of giving back to first responders and front-line service workers, Bastianich has spent the bulk of her 60s and 70s giving back to the country that welcomed her family with
open arms when she was just 11 years old. The newest installment of “Lidia Celebrates America,” subtitled “A Nation of Neighbors,” premieres Tuesday, Nov. 25, on PBS, and continues Bastianich’s rich tradition of warming hearts from coast to coast. “It’s the 14th year [of ‘Lidia Celebrates America’], and it’s my way of thanking America,” Bastianich said in an interview with TV Media ahead of the special’s release. “I find that sometimes it [the U.S.] is maligned ... so I said, ‘I’ve got to go out there and really show through food’ — because that’s how I communicate that — ‘that there’s so many good elements and good people and good experiences in America.’” And Bastianich certainly has a way of bringing out the best in people — often with a few joyful tears along the way — a talent that may harken back to her memories growing up in a small, tight-knit community before her family’s immigration to the United States.
“When I grew up as a kid in a small town in Italy, we knew every house in town, more or less,” recalled Bastianich of her childhood. “If you came home late from school or early from school [and] your mother wasn’t home, you knocked on your neighbor’s door [and] they fed you. ... The adults would get together, they have coffee together, sit under the mulberry tree in the summertime and talk.” “I think that that gives you a sense of [positivity] and stability, you know, to have these connections,” Bastianich concluded, adding, “and here, maybe it is a little missing.” This is one of the many reasons Bastianich dedicates so much of her life to traveling the country and bonding with members of the communities she visits. And what better way to do that than with a table full of delicious, soul-nurturing food? In “A Nation of Neighbors,” Bastianich begins by visiting Altadena, California, a community hit hard by the wildfires
that ravaged L.A. earlier this year. There, Firas Ayyad runs No Res Gourmet, a “501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating food insecurity with a holistic approach that blends nutrition, education and immersive experiences” (per No Res Gourmet’s official website). Like many sustainable, community-run organizations across the United States, the team of dedicated staff and volunteers at No Res (short for No Reservations) serve as the backbone of their community, lifting others up when they most need support. Many of these volunteers, like Altadena local Cisco Licona, have also been affected by recent events and use that as their fuel to give back. “There’s no reason that anyone should be hungry,” Bastianich said. “That’s what the state is supposed to do, to take care of its inhabitants, in whichever way. If we have a hurricane, take care of that part. If we have an epidemic, they’re supposed to be there. ... You can’t punish people that way for your political gains.”
In Focus
In Focus “The Abandons” - Season 1 (Netflix — Dec. 4, Series Premiere) Washington Territory, 1854: The matriarchs of two very different families — one of wealth and privilege bound by blood, the other a found family of orphans and outcasts bound by love and necessity — find their fates linked by two crimes, an awful secret, a star-crossed love and a piece of land with silver underneath.
“Next Level Baker” - Season 1 (Hulu — Dec. 5, Series Premiere) A holiday special and “Next Level Chef’s” first franchise extension, this series tests the skills of bakers as they are challenged to create eye-popping, festive holiday delights across the franchise’s three iconic levels. During the new series’ four special hours — in which culinary titan Gordon Ramsay will serve as host and mentor — only one baker will rise to the top and claim the holiday baking crown.