This Restaurant Moment Changed Everything For Lidia Bastianich

Veteran chef Lidia Bastianich has worked hard for several years to ensure that she's able to build her reputation in an industry that can be rather competitive. According to i Italy, the chef first started perfecting her dishes at home. She also had the opportunity to get a sneak peek into the food industry as a student when she joined a bakery. Bastianich didn't stop learning; when she was in college, she devoted her free time to part-time gigs in restaurants.

When she finally decided to start something of her own, Bastianich was encouraged by her now ex-husband, Felice. They worked on their first eatery after their son, Joseph was born. The year 1981 was crucial for Bastianich. That's when she decided to open another eatery, an Italian restaurant called Felidia. She worked as a chef at the restaurant and her goal was to serve authentic Italian dishes to her customers.

As per CTV News, before Bastianich launched Felidia, she experienced a difficult situation that taught her an important lesson and made her work harder than ever as a professional chef.

According to CTV News, Bastianich realized many years ago how challenging the culinary industry can be for female chefs. She said that when she was working on Felidia, the team encountered a major obstacle: they had overshot their budget. Bastianich recalled what those days were like: "...I went to the bank for a loan, I had to bring my sick husband with me in order to get that loan — and I have never forgotten it." She added that this incident probably made her more determined to open the restaurant and stay resilient as a chef.

Her advice for young women in the culinary space is simple. They must be willing to work on themselves and be exceptional at their work. She said, "if you're invested, if you're good, it's going to show." Another great piece of advice from the culinary superstar? Respect others and "demand respect back."