Diocesan News

Only in Print: Celebrity Chef Lidia Bastianich Serves Up Advice, Life Story at Bayside Parish

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament parishioner Michael Monteverdi, left, takes a picture with celebrity chef
Lidia Bastianich as she autographs her cookbook for him on Feb. 27. (Photo: Mike Rizzo)

By Michael Rizzo

BAYSIDE — The sign outside Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy in Bayside simply promoted a fundraiser on Feb. 27 with celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich.

But the three-hour event turned into a fan fest with Bastianich dishing out food, recipes and her life story, while 215 attendees savored the opportunity to get close to her, ask questions and have a photo taken with her. The event raised almost $10,000 for the school.

“I like this connection. It’s human,” Bastianich said. “Today we need more humanity … Catholic schools help me raise my kids,” she added. “They provide values, spiritual values.”

She said cooking with children can do something similar…


The rest of this article can be found exclusively in the March 7 printed version of The Tablet. You can buy it at church for $1, or you can receive future editions of the paper in your mailbox at a discounted rate by subscribing here. Thank you for supporting Catholic journalism.