I have to admit my new TV crush on Giada De Laurentiis. Her show on the Food Network, Everyday Italian, has me strangely hypnotized.
While everyone seems to be talking about fellow Food TV hosts Emeril Lagasse and Paula Deen (who appeared in the latest Cameron Crowe movie, Elizabethtown), Giada just entered the New York Times best-selling non-fiction list in the Top 10 — with her first cookbook. That’s pretty big and pretty rare.
It’s not that the show does anything really spectacular, but there’s something about the faux-rustic Italian pottery, close-ups of sleek stainless steel cookware, and chill lounge music that kicks in whenever our host starts cranking out mini-polenta bites. Giada is always fitted into some tiny t-shirt that shows off her toned arms and ample…um…bosom. Wait, who says "bosom" anymore unless they were born in 1950? Boobs, ok? She shows off her boobs. A lot. But tastefully so.
What I’m trying to say is that the whole package exudes a certain sexiness, at least as sexy as cooking shows can be. While Rachel Ray, also a successful Food TV host, is cackling about how awesome her food smells, Giada is luring you in to the point where you can practically smell the chicken stew right through your TV screen. Sure, she’s a bit too perky sometimes (no one should smile that big when they add sea salt to a dish), but she’s having fun without being overly precious about it.
And the food is simple, too. It’s not Mario Batali using obscure, high-end ingredients like goose liver. And it’s not Ms. Ray running around like a spaz, throwing frozen tater tots into her oven so she can put together a 30-Minute Meal (that being said, I actually am a fan of Rachel Ray, but watching her scramble to finish on time can be mentally exhausting). Giada makes good, easy stuff, ranging from pasta to espresso brownies that keep me coming back for more.
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Article comments
1 - Alisha Karabinus
Hilarious!!
Though don't dis Mario Batali, speaking of crushes... I just adore him.
2 - Don Baiocchi
Don't get me wrong, he's really talented. But c'mon, does anyone actually make his food at home?
3 - elsa
No! That shoe is HIDEOUS. I am very frightened right now. :)
4 - Don Baiocchi
I didn't say it was pretty, I said it was the prettiest. Look at the others and you'll see what I mean.
5 - Alisha Karabinus
I'd make something at home with him, but I'm not sure it would be food and I doubt my husband would like it.
I don't know what it is... it's not that he's that attractive, but wow! has he ever got personality. I adore him when he does Iron Chef and always root for him.
6 - Tan The Man
Is it her, or is it really people's fascination with Italian food?
7 - Sterfish
Everday Italian is a pretty good show (and those Italian Doughnuts she made for the All-Star Desserts special looked good), but one Food Network show I like for some reason is Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee. It sort of gives validation for what most of us do everyday anyway.
8 - Don Baiocchi
Yes! Those Italian doughnuts looked sooo good!
Sandra Lee I cannot get behind. First of all, if that's what most people do every day anyway, why do we need a show about it? Aren't these cooking shows to help us learn new things? Secondly, she just drives me crazy...the way everything in her kitchen has to match her theme for the day, her "tablescapes," how every meal she serves seems to be exclusively for thirty-/forty-something women (I'm sorry, but most men don't care if it's cute to wrap leaves around the stem of a wine glass). Yeah, she just bugs me.
Tan, that's a good question. Since I'm Italian, I'm probably not objective enough to answer. But Michael Chiarello has a show that's mostly Italian focused, as does Mario Batali, and I don't watch either of the shows as much as Giada's.
9 - Francesca
Giada is my idol. She's so adorable. I love her desserts, I make them for my family on sundays. Since I've been watching her show, my brothers have jumped on the band wagon. not for the food though, they're obsessed with her.
10 - Allen
I love watching her show since she makes simple dishes and she's so HOT!
11 - JB
I was introduced to Giada about 1 year ago. My brother and mother watch it. We are Italian and at first I was not taken with this show since a lot of these recipes I cook frequently. I've watched it a few times and now I am hooked. Yesterday, I realized that what makes her show SO AMAZING is--- how WELL it is shot. When you watch Emeril or anyone else, the lighting and photography just do not compare. And of course, Giada is an attractive woman, but her onscreen presence truly is remarkable. I can see why guys are attracted to her. Plus those dishes she makes are wonderful.
12 - Giuseppe
I agree that the show is well photographed and, after editing say 2 hours or so of footage, we have the 30 minute show (less accounting for commercials). I like the format better than the shows where chefs cook something, pop it in the oven, and pull out the fully cooked version.
I especially like the background music and the enhances sounds of the chopping, slicing, sizzling, etc. It's kind of relaxing actually. :)
13 - Greg
I read the post above, and I have to say as a 26 y/o male I am strangely attracted to Giada also. I think it is a combination of the lighting, her personality, and her depth of knowledge that bring me in. I watch a lot of the Food Network shows as I hone my skills, but by far she is my favorite. My wife once thought I had a crush on Rachel Ray for watching her show everyday, but it came on at dinnertime and I was lost when we first got married. What's for dinner?!
Then I found Giada, and I knew her show had the sexiness that was almost sinful, but her dishes were simple but ELEGANT. You really feel like you are a gourmet, even though you are using like 7 ingredients max. She comes up with things I would never even think were possible. Simple but elegant.
Now my wife frowns on my new interest which is Giada. She is beaming and insightful, well articulated, and cultured. I watched her Food TV special where she went to Italy last year, and I was devastated. SHE IS MARRIED.
But at least I saw her Chefography and learned she dated that guy for 13 years before he proposed. LOSER. I wouldn't take that long--she is a gem.
Oh well, enough rambling, but I would join the Giada club. Rachel Ray is fun too, but a little scatterbrained and caffeinated for me. With Rachel's new talk show coming, she will soon be overexposed.
14 - Greg
I read the post above, and I have to say as a 26 y/o male I am strangely attracted to Giada also. I think it is a combination of the lighting, her personality, and her depth of knowledge that bring me in. I watch a lot of the Food Network shows as I hone my skills, but by far she is my favorite. My wife once thought I had a crush on Rachel Ray for watching her show everyday, but it came on at dinnertime and I was lost when we first got married. What's for dinner?!
Then I found Giada, and I knew her show had the sexiness that was almost sinful, but her dishes were simple but ELEGANT. You really feel like you are a gourmet, even though you are using like 7 ingredients max. She comes up with things I would never even think were possible. Simple but elegant.
Now my wife frowns on my new interest which is Giada. She is beaming and insightful, well articulated, and cultured. I watched her Food TV special where she went to Italy last year, and I was devastated. SHE IS MARRIED.
But at least I saw her Chefography and learned she dated that guy for 13 years before he proposed. LOSER. I wouldn't take that long--she is a gem.
Oh well, enough rambling, but I would join the Giada club. Rachel Ray is fun too, but a little scatterbrained and caffeinated for me. With Rachel's new talk show coming, she will soon be overexposed.
15 - Don Baiocchi
Greg, nice to have you come around to Team Giada. I agree with your descriptions of her food. Simple but elegant. If you want that, make her lemon spaghetti. It's so simple, so cheap, and add some chicken and broccoli and you've got a great one-pot meal.
I was going to say that your wife shouldnt' be jealous if watching Giada makes you cook for her - what wife wouldn't her hubby to cook good food for her? But, if you're disappointed that she's not single...maybe that means you're interested in more than just the food...?
16 - ritared32
hey wats up i like your show on foodnetwork but o think that (not saying that you shoult)you should try making your shows around the world and learning new things and then trying to cook it . no offense i love italian food but you should try new things like dominican shreded turkey(really good and spicy), patatoe salad, steak in the spicy way with new and diffrent kind of spices and flavors you don't have to di this i was just tryin to help.
GOD BLESS YOU ,
bye,bye
17 - Jeremy Clarkson
I watch Giada everyday. My roommates make fun of me.
18 - afeisha
i like giada very much, she can cook excellent and i love how neat and tidy she is.i am very proud of her and her achievements and wish good luck in everything!
19 - DJSHA
OMG sooo funny!! What you said about Rachel was hilarious but sooo true!! Giada is hot... so is Aida come to think of it! But I'm not really feeling her new set with the beach view. It's kinda cold, I prefer the rustic/slightly contemporary kitchen that she had before, it was so much more inviting. On the other hand, the music is amazing!! It helps me chill and relax!!
20 - Paul
I love Giada