Giada De Laurentiis is an Emmy Award–winning chef and founder of Giadzy, a lifestyle brand that blends Italian tradition with entrepreneurial vision. With a new Amazon Studios deal and a curated product line, she’s creating an innovative platform that celebrates food, culture, and community.
Watch now to hear how Giada turned a two-minute demo into a two-decade career, why she’s all-in on content and commerce, and what she’s building next with Amazon.
Watch now to hear how Giada turned a two-minute demo into a two-decade career, why she’s all-in on content and commerce, and what she’s building next with Amazon.
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00:00What have you learned about being on camera?
00:02That no matter what happens, you smile. If you mess it up, if you bluff, if you don't know where
00:07the hell you are, if you drop something on the floor, just continue to smile and that will keep
00:13the audience engaged. Welcome to Restaurant Influencers presented by Entrepreneur. I'm
00:23your host, Sean Walchef. This is a Cali BBQ media production in life, in the restaurant business,
00:29and in the new creator economy, we learn through lessons and stories. I am so excited today. We
00:36have an Emmy award-winning TV personality, 11 times New York Times best-selling author. She is a
00:44restaurateur and she has a new lifestyle brand. We believe deeply in four Cs, content, commerce,
00:52communication, and community. And today's guest embodies all of those things. And she is a master
00:58storyteller. Giada De Laurentiis, welcome to the show.
01:02Thank you. And you said my name so well. Thank you.
01:06I appreciate everything that you're doing, everything that you've done. And I can't wait
01:12to learn more about what you have planned for the future.
01:16Well, I don't know what I've got planned, but I've always got something up my sleeve,
01:21so that way I don't get bored.
01:24Well, definitely you live a life that isn't boring. So let's start with my favorite random
01:29question, which is where in the world is your favorite stadium, stage, or venue?
01:36I think wherever my daughter is performing. She is huge into theater. So I will say that the
01:43Wiltern is where I was this weekend.
01:44Okay. So she's a big theater lover and she's in many, many plays. So whatever stage she's on is
01:52going to be my favorite spot to be at. Amazing. Well, we're going to pretend like we're going to
01:56go to the Wiltern. We're going to talk to some sponsors. We'll talk to Entrepreneur Toast,
02:01who sponsors this show, who believed in me. They've backed us and gave us the opportunity. I own
02:06barbecue restaurants. And I told them I have this dream to be a media business. And they've given us the
02:11opportunity to have amazing conversations like this with people like you. So we'll go to the
02:16Wiltern. I'm going to give you the mic, TEDx style, and say, Giada, bring us back to the very beginning
02:22to when you started Everyday Italian. Tell us what was going on in your mind? What did you think you
02:30were building? And Mike is yours. Floor is yours. Go.
02:34Well, I think, Sean, I didn't have a plan. I mean, I think you talk to a lot of entrepreneurs,
02:42a lot of chefs, a lot of people that do a lot of things. And most of them, I think, do plan
02:46sort of where their ride's going to take them. I did not plan any of it. I come from a large Italian
02:52family. I immigrated into the United States when I was seven years old. So I'm born in Rome,
02:59Italy. And my family came here because my family was in the movie business. And my grandfather was
03:05a successful movie producer in Italy and in Europe. And I think for a lot of Europeans and a lot of
03:14immigrants in general, America is sort of the promised land, right? You've not made it in your
03:18life until you've made it in America. And so we're talking the early 70s. And we all came with him
03:25because when you come from a large Italian family, you follow the patriarch. So we all did. And we
03:31lived in New York for a minute. And then we all moved to Los Angeles. So Hollywood is where it's at
03:36when you're making movies. And I grew up in a movie making family. So my grandfather, though,
03:42comes from a pasta making family. So in Naples, before World War Two, his parents made pasta. And he and
03:51his siblings, he was one of 10 children would go door to door in Naples and sell their parents pasta.
03:58And that is truly the beginnings of what my family actually was. And then they lost the pasta factory
04:05in World War Two because Naples was heavily bombed. And my grandfather, a short, smart little Italian
04:13guy who really could sell coal to a coal miner and ice to everybody because he was just a really good
04:20salesman. I think he learned from when he was very young. And so he went to Rome, wanted to be an actor,
04:25realized he was too little, too short and not handsome enough, and ended up marrying my grandmother who
04:31was Miss Rome at the time and a beauty queen. And together, yeah. Miss Rome, that's amazing. Yeah. And so,
04:39you know, she was tall and beautiful. And he made her the lead in all his movies. And he became a superstar.
04:47And together, they built this movie empire all over Europe that my family in Italy still runs today.
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06:24And then he got an opportunity to come to the States and we were little and my mother is the
06:29eldest of his four children. And we moved, we moved to the States and I was little and my family was
06:36very much into holding on to our tradition. You know, they didn't want to assimilate much like many
06:44families did when they immigrated from whatever country. We didn't change our name. We held on to
06:50our cultural values. We ate Italian food. My grandfather would import it. And at a certain
06:55point, my grandfather opened these, um, very similar to Eataly, but much smaller called DDL food
07:03show. One in Trump Tower in New York, um, in the early eighties and one in Los Angeles. And I was
07:09about 11, 12 years old. I would go there after school. And the beauty of these places was Italian
07:16food the way we know it today didn't exist in this country. And the Eataly's of the world did not exist.
07:22And so you would walk in and he brought all the guys he grew up with, all of the pizzaiolos,
07:28all the butchers, everybody. And so they all spoke Italian. Everybody spoke Italian in a time when,
07:36you know, that didn't, that wasn't really the thing. And I would go there after school and just
07:41be mesmerized by people's facial expressions and looking at all of the salamis hanging and all the
07:47prosciuttos and like things that Americans just hadn't seen because travel, believe it or not,
07:51wasn't that big in those days. And people didn't leave this country. So I think that was the wow
07:58factor, right? And he had a little restaurant up top and I would go there after school and just be
08:03like, Oh man, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to do something that creates people to have
08:10that same reaction. So I grew up and I try the movie business. My grandfather's stores, the one in LA
08:20ended up in Beverly Hills ended up closing. When I was about 18, the one in Trump Tower lasted for
08:26years and years, probably because on the East coast, they understood Italian food a little bit more and
08:32we're more invested in that. And in LA at the time, especially just wasn't the jam. Right. And so
08:38I went, I ended up going to college. I was the first in my family to actually go to college. I went to
08:45UCLA and after I grew up and I studied food anthropology and I really wanted to go to culinary
08:51school. And so I ended up going to France cause I wanted to be a pastry chef. So I moved to Paris
08:57and I studied at Le Cordon Bleu and I was there for several years and then I was homesick. So I came
09:03back to Los Angeles and I worked for Wolfgang Puck at Spago for a while. And, and I worked for some
09:11French chefs also at the Ritz Carlton and Miranda Del Rey. And I sort of tried to find my footing at the
09:18time. It was rough. You know, I'm a petite woman. You know, my grandfather was like, what the hell are
09:24you doing? That's a man's world. You're little, you can't even lift a pot. What the hell are you
09:28spending your time doing this for? And I tried my hand at doing movies. I didn't like it. It wasn't
09:35for me. I was incredibly shy. You know, my family's loud and boisterous. And although my grandfather was
09:41little, he was incredibly overwhelming and powerful. And I think I just felt like I love to cook. I love to
09:49eat and I loved food and to be around it. So to me, that was where I was the happiest. But my family
09:55was a little skeptical. So I started doing some food styling on the side. I had some friends who did
10:01some food styling and I thought, okay, I'll dabble in that while I work in the restaurants because I
10:05didn't make any money in the restaurants. And my family was sick and tired of supporting me. And so I
10:10started to do some side gigs. So I was doing that and private chefing and just trying to find like,
10:15what is, what am I going to do here? My family was like, just get married and have some kids and
10:21don't worry about it. It's old school Neapolitan. Like girls don't go to college. They just get
10:26married. And, and to me that was never, I don't know. It just wasn't, uh, it wasn't my calling.
10:35So anyhow, I do all of this and I land a job for food and wine magazine, uh, where I was doing some
10:42food styling. It was assisting food styling. 9-11 happens and the world changes, especially in the
10:48U S right. People stop going to restaurants as much and start cooking at home. And food and wine
10:54magazine asked me to do, um, an issue where they were getting these small chefs, cooks, whatever.
11:03Um, and they wanted to build out like a little story about different, different food styles and
11:09different, um, ethnic foods at the time. Italian was still an ethnic food, not unlike it is today.
11:15And so I got my family together. My grandfather was getting a lifetime achieved no more at the
11:18Oscars at the time. And I got my family together. I made our traditional Italian Sunday meal.
11:25We shot it there. I was the food stylist. I shopped. I made all the dishes. I got my family together.
11:31I did all. And that went into food and wine magazine. And to me, I thought, okay, that's my future.
11:38I'm going to be a food stylist. That'll be super fun. It's very creative. I was a very creative
11:41person, which is why I loved desserts. And that's why I went to Paris because who has better pastries
11:47but Paris. I wanted nothing to really to do with Italian food because I grew up on it. I didn't
11:52think it was very special. And so I really just fate as it was food network, which was tiny at the
12:01time called me and track me down and just said, you know, we saw your profile in food and wine
12:06magazine. We love how simple the recipes are. Would you put yourself on tape? And I was like,
12:13no, I come from a family of movie makers. No, that's not for me. I'm not interested. I don't
12:20like it. I tried my hand at movies. It's just, and the producer, the head of the studio at the time
12:27was like, we just need like a two minute clip. Just put together a two minute clip, make anything you
12:32want. Six months goes by. He harasses me once a month. I finally, my brother at the time
12:38worked in the movies and he got a camera and basically followed me around, went grocery
12:45shopping with me and we made a recipe and then he edited it for me and he put music and he was very
12:51creative in that way. And so he did that for me. I made a very simple, um, baked pasta, pasta,
12:59which was something that we grew up with. Anyway, I do that. I send it in and they call me and that's
13:05how everyday Italian is born. And that is truly how it starts. And I, Sean had no, no interest in
13:14being in front of the camera. I had no desires. I, I, I honestly, I was like, nobody in my family
13:22really, no women really have a career except for my aunt who produced movies with my grandfather.
13:26So I, I, I was like, I don't, I just want a job so I don't have to rely on my family. That's all
13:35really I want. And other than that, I love food, whatever. I don't care. There was no plan. So I've
13:41basically been on a treadmill for 24 years that has taken me, this, this ride has taken me all
13:47different places. And I will just say that my grandfather, although now he has passed, um, and
13:53it's been 15 years, my brother who shot it has been gone 20 years. He died of cancer soon after
13:59I got my show. And I just, you know, to me, all I hear is his, my grandfather's voice. Like,
14:05just don't embarrass the family, whatever you do, just don't embarrass the family. And at the time
14:10food network was so little. My grandfather was like a show about food all the time. What the hell
14:17is this? Like, and I, and, and, you know, before he died, funny enough, he told me a story where he's
14:23going through the airport and someone stops him and says, Oh my gosh, are you related to Jada?
14:28And his answer was, hell no. She's related to me.
14:34He sounds amazing.
14:35That explains my entire family. And so to this day, I always say that, uh, whatever grounding
14:41I might still have, all has to do with my family. They're very grounding. And so, you know,
14:47yeah. So that's how I got on every day time.
14:50So what have you learned about being on camera?
14:55That no matter what happens, you smile. If you mess it up, if you bluff, if you don't know where
15:01the hell you are, if you drop something on the floor, just continue to smile. And that will keep
15:07the audience engaged. And also, I think for me, I like to talk to the audience. Like we're on a,
15:12we're on a journey together. This is a we situation. This isn't an I situation. It's not
15:19me telling you what it is. This is us. Let's do this together. Let's just spend this 30 minutes
15:25together and let's learn something. I'll learn something along with you. I'll guide. I'll be your
15:31guide, but we're on it together. And I think the inclusivity is to me, maybe what helped me stay
15:39on the air for so many years. Do not skip this ad. This is important information. I unboxed toast,
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16:19So recently I was at the Food On Demand conference in Las Vegas. I was speaking. I was very fortunate
16:28that it was at the Bellagio Hotel. My wife, she's Bulgarian. She absolutely loves the fountains. She
16:35loves the gardens. But we had a hotel room overlooking the fountain for the first time. And
16:41I was overlooking the fountain with my wife and my son and my daughter. And I looked in the corner and I
16:47could see this beautiful restaurant and it was your amazing restaurant that has now been there for 10
16:53years. Can you bring me back to opening in Las Vegas? I too was very fortunate to be given this
17:00space. The space was a two-floor parking garage and I got to build it. And I have to tell you,
17:10Sean, it was life-changing for me. It really was. And it was a leap of faith because I had no
17:15restaurants. I didn't know anything about running a restaurant. Nothing. And yeah, I had a show.
17:25But like in those days, like what? Who the hell that has a show opens a restaurant? It's always the
17:32reverse, right? You start with restaurants, then maybe you go to a cookbook and then maybe you go to
17:36one show. And I did the exact reverse, right? So I think that there was a lot of doubt for a lot of
17:42people. And also to be honest on them, there weren't really any female-led restaurants on the
17:50strip. I think there were sous chefs who were females, but there weren't even any head chefs
17:55that were females on the strip. They were all guys and they were all male personalities or male
18:00chefs that had restaurants. And so I think there was a lot of skepticism for me opening a restaurant,
18:05especially in that location because it's so prime in the corner, in a hotel that only has 180 rooms
18:11and I have 275 seats. So I think everybody thought I'd lost my freaking mind. But at the end of the
18:17day, I thought, well, I'm going to do what my grandfather did. Go big or go home. At least I
18:21would have tried. And if it didn't work, well, you know what? Then it didn't work. And nobody would
18:26have remembered anyway. And nobody would have been surprised because nobody had any faith it would work
18:30except for the guy who ran Caesars at the time, who had a belief that we needed to build a restaurant
18:37that was for women really, and wasn't really for men. And that the wives would bring the families
18:44and the husbands. And guess what, Sean? That's exactly what happened. And I wanted to build a
18:49restaurant that had windows that opened up to the strip, and it does, so that you felt like you were
18:56suspended over that strip. And you could really like, feel like you could feel sort of the breeze
19:03of that, of the fountains of the water that were kind of coming from the Bellagia fountains because
19:08they're a gift. They're stunning. They're just stunning. And they're magical. They're magical,
19:14right? So I had a magical view, and I wanted the windows to open, which no restaurants in Vegas had
19:21windows that opened. So the fights in those conference rooms and those big boardrooms of
19:25trying to get those windows that I wanted so badly that they'd never done, I can't tell you, was
19:31rough. And I wanted a space where people could see food first, not a bar first, but food, you know,
19:39like antipasto bars, kind of like my grandfather had at DDL Food Show. I wanted that vibe. I wanted to
19:44see a big hearth and a pizza oven where pizzas were coming in and bread was being big, focaccia,
19:48so you could smell it, not just see people getting drunk at the bar, which is most of what
19:52restaurants are, right? And I wanted people to feel comfortable coming in. I wanted them to feel
19:58like they were coming into my living room, warm, happy. And I think those are some of the things
20:03that we were able to achieve that allowed me to stay for so long and great pasta along with it.
20:10And so I think for me, you know, I sell a million, I've sold a million lemon spaghettis in the 10 years
20:15I've been there. It's a shit ton of pasta. I mean, water and flour and, you know, a little
20:22bit of lemon Parmesan cheese, like really simple stuff. And I remember that making the menu, I got
20:28a lot of pushback from the powers that be about more meat. It's a meat forward city. We need a lot
20:34of steaks. Like we, and I kept saying, I don't want to do that. Everybody does that. Why do I want
20:41to do what everybody does? There are many guys that are doing that great. Like, why would I want
20:46to copy them? There's no point in me being here if I'm going to do exactly what everybody else does.
20:52And I think that fighting for those beliefs and that philosophy has helped me stay relevant for
20:58that long because 10 years in Vegas is a long time. It's a long time. And I have to pull from all
21:05these hotels because I'll be honest, even if the, if the hotel is full, it's not enough to fill my
21:10restaurant. It just isn't. So we've been really lucky. And I think that the secret sauce is just
21:16the fact that I offer something that's slightly different than everybody else. And I created a
21:23community or a feeling when you walk into that space, that feels like you're walking into my
21:28living room and, or my dining room or whatever. And it feels warm and cozy, even though it's a very
21:34large space and you have this phenomenal view. So 10 years is long in any business, but certainly
21:42in the restaurant business and certainly in Las Vegas. Um, I'd love to hear about Chicago. I just
21:48got back from the national restaurant show in Chicago, 60,000 restaurant tours trying to find
21:53out, you know, get out of their restaurant, learn, be better. Um, it's amazing food city. And I know you
21:59have big plans for Chicago. Can you share? Chicago has come around, man. It has come around. It is
22:06really rocking. And I think, you know, Chicago proper has some great restaurants. I know Evan
22:12Funke is a friend of mine just opened and I went to his restaurant. Like they have some great food.
22:16They've come a long way from Italian American food, which is by the way, great food also,
22:20but totally different than Italian, authentic Italian food. I'm actually going to Chicago land,
22:25which means it's right outside. I'm going to the suburbs instead of sitting in the city and
22:31competing with all of the guys that are already doing it so well in the city. I'm actually going
22:36right outside and I am hitting, I think, you know, Naperville areas like that, that are
22:41lacking of that kind of food that live in strip malls that don't have high end food in the sense that
22:50they have to go into the city to try to get that kind. And so I want to go to them instead of them
22:55coming to me. And I think that that is one of the things that I like to do is kind of
23:00pioneer an area. You know, Vegas has always been amazing food scene, but there wasn't anything like
23:06my food on that strip. So I think that is the goal that I'm trying, you know, that's the philosophy
23:12behind when I open is to kind of go into a market that is that I can bring something slightly different
23:17to not that I'm just going to go into a market and do what other people are already doing really
23:21well. And so that is the key behind the two restaurants. And it's two, one is more casual
23:27pizza and pasta, and the other one is more of a Tuscan steakhouse, which I haven't actually done
23:30before, which will be nice, I think, to have. I'm looking forward to doing that. And one of them is
23:36the casual place is called Sorelina and the other one's called Sorella, basically sister and little
23:41sister in a time. Like my sister, that's how my mother used to call it, my sister and myself.
23:49Anyhow, so, you know, I think for me, it's again creating in Chicago that community feel. So we'll
23:57have a pizza bar, and then we'll have a section where you can see them making fresh pasta, and it
24:02kind of bringing them in so there's show. I guess my brand is not just food and community, but also
24:10part of it is entertainment. So I want to entertain them when they come to my restaurant, which is
24:14part of how I design the layouts of the restaurants. What is the schedule for opening two restaurants at
24:20the same time? Well, they're not going to be at the same time. Sorelina, the pizza pasta concept
24:25opens in August. Okay. That one's soon. The next one opens March of 26. Close enough, but not
24:30in the restaurant space. That's close enough. Yeah. Yeah. And you know what? I get to build them from
24:36scratch again. I have been so fortunate, Sean, that all my restaurants have been built from
24:40scratch. The one in Scottsdale, Luna, and Pronto, again, built from scratch. So I'm able to kind of
24:46create the vibe and the look and feel that I'm looking for, and that really represents my brand
24:53rather than just, you know, a nice coat of paint and changing the carpet. To me, that's really,
25:00really, really important, which is why I haven't opened 20 restaurants or 30 restaurants in the 10
25:05years I've been doing this. So I think, you know, it, it takes time for me to find the right
25:09location and the right opportunity that I can really, people can really feel like they're coming
25:14to see me or at least feel me and my brand. How do you build a lifestyle platform?
25:23Well, in my book, I've been building one for over 20 years. I think although as a cooking show on Food
25:30Network, there's a lot of entertaining tips and a lot of entertaining at the end, which is very
25:34much part of the Italian lifestyle. I mean, the Italian culture, yes, it's about food, but how do
25:41you enjoy that food? It's not just about sitting down to a plate, a great plate of pasta or an
25:45antipasto or a great steak. It's also about who are you sharing that with? What is the environment
25:50you're sharing it in? There's a sense of community and family. And so that is sort of the backbone of
26:00what I built on Jodzy. And I started that in 2016 as just a way to blog and to talk to my customers
26:06because, you know, restaurants and, and, and cookbooks and television shows, they get created
26:15in over a very long period of time. It's not like you decide today and it's open tomorrow. So I felt
26:22like there was such a lag time and I wanted to be able to communicate a more sort of quick and
26:31social media really allowed me to do that. So blogging was sort of part of what I loved to do.
26:35And so I started Jodzy in 2016. And then, um, in 2020, when I had a little downtime, I started to
26:41realize that I could create a real business, a pantry business, a marketplace on it. I could do, um,
26:47travel guides. I could, I could really teach people about all the facets of the Italian culture
26:53and lifestyle. And so that's what Jodzy ended up being. And so now it's a D to C business
26:57where we, um, import Italian high end, really curated Italian products. A lot of it is private
27:05label at this point with a lot of, um, small purveyors around Italy that either are friends
27:10of my family and mine or other ones that we have now sourced that have really clean ingredients,
27:15no gums and fillers and pasta and all this other stuff that I see in the marketplace that, you know,
27:22at the end of the day, we need to clean up our acts in the way that we eat. And I feel like we need
27:26some really good knowledge around it. And so to me, it's about teaching people through content and
27:32videos and recipes, but also being able to deliver on the products too. Right? So I think it's, it's a
27:37combo and we have kits, which are really popular for gifting. The kits basically are my recipe in a box
27:43and you make it with the recipe and you have all the ingredients that are, you know, that come from
27:48Italy. And I think, you know, we, uh, we're building a retail business now where an air ones in Los
27:56Angeles. I think you're in New York, right? Uh, I'm in my studio looks, yeah, that looks like New
28:01York. I'm in San Diego actually. Oh, you're in San Diego. Okay. So you're a California boy. I don't
28:05know if you have air ones in San Diego. Do you? I don't believe so. Okay. So we're in air ones,
28:11which is local here to this market. And again, it's like anything else I like to do. I like to
28:15test the market to see what people are reacting to and then kind of create, um, and, and really
28:22curate it correctly for the market. So now we're, we're going into, um, into retail. We're already
28:28have an Amazon store and, um, just building out this brand, which is an entrepreneurial journey
28:36that, uh, is much, much harder actually than what I've done on TV. Um, and in cookbooks,
28:43it's, it's as hard as the restaurant business. I would say it's, it's, it's very difficult,
28:47but it's fun. It, it, it, it kind of keeps me, keeps my brain active and I'm learning and using
28:56parts of my brain. I never did before. And I think that is, uh, that's the part of, you know,
29:02that's the part that I really love. I'm learning a side of the business that I had never,
29:07I just, I didn't need to learn before and I just didn't. So it's been really a creative process and,
29:12uh, and been really fun.
29:15So we, we believe to be the show and not the commercial,
29:19and you do a phenomenal job of creating shows, creating content. And now you have
29:24Jotsi, this platform. Can you share a little bit about how strategically you plan on
29:29working with Amazon, Amazon prime and Amazon studios on the content, the stories that you're
29:35going to be sharing? Well, so we opened an Amazon store and, um, a storefront, and now I have a show,
29:43uh, coming out in June with Amazon prime and it's a, um, a kitchen reno show. And so I'm trying to
29:52basically put all the players together, right? So my cookbooks sell very well on Amazon. We have
29:59products, um, and a show and a storefront, a Jotsi and then a show. And then there's
30:04the products, the Jotsi products are also on the show. So kind of connecting all those dots,
30:09which I have to say, Sean is it's easy to wrap your head around the concept, but it's actually
30:16really hard to do. You would think that, yeah, you would think it, it's easier than it is. It is
30:21not an easy feat, but I am trying desperately to connect those dots for the consumer because I feel
30:26like that is sometimes the disconnect, um, bringing all of the worlds together, bringing
30:32the restaurant experience, the cookbook experience, the shows, the show experience and the products.
30:37They're all part of a lifestyle brand, right? They all are interchangeable. Um, I sometimes just wish
30:45it was easier to do, but I guess if it was easy to do, everybody would do it. So that is the challenge
30:50of my life is to try to get, get all those components to work together. Um, and so that is
30:56what we're currently working on. And Amazon has been a great partner for all of that, which is one
31:01of the reasons I did that move from food network to Amazon. Yeah. I mean, we believe deeply in
31:05technology. Obviously toast is sponsoring this storytelling show and a company like Amazon is
31:10sounds like the perfect partner when somebody is watching one of your unscripted shows to be able
31:16to literally integrate the technology where you recommend a trip to Italy. Um, and we're able to
31:22literally purchase it while we're watching the show. I mean, we're not far away from that, but to
31:26your point, it's seen, it sounds easier in theory than in actuality of actually, how are we going to
31:32connect all of these different pieces? Um, because they're big pieces. There are a lot of moving parts.
31:37Um, a lot of different, there's a lot of technology and backend that has to really work. And I think we're
31:43still in the beginning stages of that, but you're right, Sean, that is exactly how it's going to be.
31:50It's the blessing, the curse and the opportunity. I mean, Amazon has made it so easy for us to buy
31:56one thing and to have something amazing from Italy show up at our doorstep. And now we expect it to
32:01happen, but we're still, I think we're there. I mean, what you're doing, I think is revolutionary
32:05with the platform that you're building, because like I said, the four C's content, commerce,
32:10commerce, communication, and community, and you can do all of those things in the brand that you own.
32:16I'm trying. Yes. I try. And if it isn't me, Sean, there will be somebody who will be successful at
32:24this because it's, we're definitely right on the precipice of it. So I always say, I tell everybody,
32:29if it's not me, somebody else is going to do this. So it just timing. I really believe in timing,
32:35Sean. I really do. I say to people, yes, I worked hard. Yes. You know, I can cook. Yeah. But
32:41it's also timing. Like there's a lot of gifted people out there and the timing doesn't work out
32:47and it just, it doesn't happen for them. But am I the most gifted? No, but it's, it's all those pieces
32:55that you have to put together. And if you can do that, then it's a home run.
33:00Can you tell me about your social media journey, what you've learned along the way
33:05from the beginning times of Food Network, no social media to Facebook, to Instagram, to now we have
33:13It's been a journey, hasn't it? It's been such a freaking journey.
33:18You're blogging, you've got a website, you've got a commerce platform, you've got an Amazon show.
33:23Sean, sometimes I wake up and I'm like, what the heck have I done to myself? Because it's a beast
33:30that you can never feed. It's never satisfied. It's never satisfied. It's constant. You can never
33:37do enough. You can never have enough viral videos. Like it's never enough. And I feel like sometimes
33:43that is, that is one aspect that I feel like, oh, am I too old for this game? Because the energy
33:50that it takes to do, but I will say this, I've been able to build a really amazing community of people.
33:57And I, for that, I am completely just in awe of and honored to be able to do it. Because
34:04if I could play a small part of empowering people in the kitchen, or in their lives in general,
34:14that is a huge gift. I mean, why are we here, if not to help each other?
34:18In whatever way, everybody does it differently, right? We all have a different way of communicating
34:24and creating community and helping each other out. And I think for me, it's about taking them
34:29out of their daily grind and allowing them to see this magical story, whatever it might be.
34:37And this recipe that if they make it, not only will they feel really good eating it, but they'll
34:41feel empowered in front of their family and friends. And who doesn't want to feel that way?
34:44Who doesn't want a joyous moment where somebody else is saying to you, oh my God, this is
34:51an amazing bite of food that you have just made prepared for me. And that is the essence of the
34:57Italian tradition and culture. That's what I grew up with. And that's what I care to share with people.
35:02And that is something that I've been able to do in real time through social media. So it's a gift
35:06in that sense. Amazing. Before I let you go, I'm going to ask you some personal tech stack questions,
35:12which is, are you iPhone or Android? iPhone. Which version? Newest? Do you get the newest?
35:19Is it the 15? The 15. 15? 16? 15? I don't know. The 15 is the, is the, the 16 is the brand,
35:27brand new one. Yes. Yes. And no, I don't always go for the newest thing. The newest one. Okay.
35:32No. Do you prefer phone calls or text messages? Text. Do you leave voicemails? No.
35:39How many emails do you get a day?
35:44I don't know, but I'll tell you this before I started, I said something to my assistant. She's
35:48like, it's because you have too many emails in your inbox. That's why you can't attach things.
35:54I will tell you, I am not the most tech savvy person. In fact, I had to wait to make sure that
36:01we could get on this properly. Cause I was like, I don't, I don't recognize that. It's not a zoom.
36:06It's not a Google meets. I don't know what this link is. Let's make sure that my headphones work,
36:11please. Fantastic. Uh, what's the first app you, you open when you wake up?
36:17Meditation. Meditation. Which one? It's the, um, calm meditation. Amazing. Um,
36:25Apple maps or Google maps. Uh, ways ways. Oh, nice. Uh, do you, you, how do you listen to music?
36:36I really, I only listen to my, no, I really listened to my daughter's music, uh, when we're
36:42together. Otherwise I podcast, I listen to podcasts. Okay. I have found, and, uh, audio books.
36:48What's your favorite podcast to listen to? Right now I've been listening to, um,
36:56this health and wellness one. Uh, what's it called? Pulling the thread. Okay. Uh, have you seen
37:04Vince Vance's known as I haven't, but I heard it's fabulous. It's a beautiful story. Is it?
37:11Well, I know the story of the guy in Staten Island. I know the story, uh, but I heard it's
37:16really fabulous that he, that Vince Vaughn is wonderful and it's just so heartwarming.
37:21Okay. I'll watch it. Very heart from a restaurant owner standpoint of having a restaurant and having
37:27a dream and putting all that money on the dream. Yeah. It's a, it's an emotional movie. They did a
37:30great job. Yeah. The story is fabulous. That's great to hear that the movie is as good as the story
37:34was. It is. Um, if you guys want to connect with me, I'm weirdly available at Sean P. Welchef on
37:40Instagram is the fastest, but LinkedIn, all the platforms. We're grateful that you support this
37:45show, that you share this show. Giada, congratulations on all the success. Uh,
37:50what's the best platform for people to connect with you? Um, Instagram, Instagram. Giada,
37:56tell us about the Amazon show. When is it coming out? When is it available? It's available June 23rd,
38:02June 23rd, Amazon prime. We will put, we will put the link into the show notes. Thank you so much.
38:09Thanks for having me, Sean.
38:12Thank you for listening to restaurant influencers. If you want to get in touch with me, I am weirdly
38:17available at Sean P. Welchef S H A W N P W A L C H E F. Cali barbecue media has other shows. You can
38:27check out digital hospitality. We've been doing that show since 2017. We also just launched a show season
38:34two family style on YouTube with toast. And if you are a restaurant brand or a hospitality brand,
38:41and you're looking to launch your own show, Cali barbecue media can help you. Recently,
38:45we just launched room for seconds with Greg Majewski. It is an incredible insight into leadership,
38:53into hospitality, into enterprise restaurants and franchise franchisee relationships. Take a look
39:00at room for seconds. And if you're ready to start a show, reach out to us, be the show.media. We can't
39:07wait to work with you.