MEET LIDIA MATTICCHIO BASTIANICH, FIRST LADY OF
ITALIAN CUISINE, AT STEW LEONARD'S DANBURY STORE

Restaurateur, Cookbook Author and
Public Television Personality Signs Copies of Her Newest Cookbook

Wednesday, December 9 from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M.

WHAT:
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, "The First Lady of Italian Cuisine," returns to Stew Leonard’s Danbury store to meet fans and sign copies of her newest cookbook, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes (Knopf; $35.00; ISBN/EAN: 978-0-307-26751-1). The cookbook is the companion volume to the new season of her public television series, Lidia’s Italy, which began airing in September 2009. Stew Leonard’s is offering the cookbook at a special holiday gift price of $21.99 or two for $40.00.

In Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes, Lidia brings to us the culinary treasures of 12 lesser known regions of Italy, including Molise, Liguria, Umbria, Abruzzo, Calabria, Valle d'Aosta, Le Marche, Trentino Alto Adige, Basilicata and Sardinia. She shares new recipes and highlights local ingredients from the north, sheep country, the farmlands and coastal areas, including new pasta dishes from all of these regions. The cookbook also includes passages from Lidia's daughter, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, who shares her love of Italy and its art.

WHO:
Widely regarded as "The First Lady of Italian Cuisine," Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is a restaurateur, best-selling cookbook author and public television personality. She has written six cookbooks, including Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy, Lidia's Italy, Lidia's Family Table, Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, Lidia's Italian Table and La Cucina di Lidia. Four of her books have been accompanied by a nationally-syndicated public television series. Her restaurants include Felidia, which received three stars by New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni, Becco, Esca and Del Posto in New York and Lidia's in Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Lidia also travels throughout the country lecturing on Italian cuisine.

WHEN
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M.

WHERE:
Stew Leonard's Danbury Store
99 Federal Road, Danbury, CT
Store Phone for Customer Questions: 203.790.8030

MEDIA CONTACT:
Rachel Begun, Stew Leonard's, 203.847.7213 rbegun@stewleonards.com