Joe Bastianich facts for kids
Bastianich in 2011
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| Born | Joseph Bastianich September 17, 1968 Queens, New York |
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| Cooking style | Italian |
| Education | Boston College |
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Rating(s)
Michelin stars
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Current restaurant(s)
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Television show(s)
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Joseph Bastianich (born September 17, 1968) is an American who owns restaurants, writes books, and is a television star. He and his mother, Lidia Bastianich, own many restaurants together. They have more than thirty restaurants in four different countries. These include famous places like Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. They also helped bring Eataly, a special food and wine market, to several cities. These cities include Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York City, London, and Stockholm.
Contents
Early Life and School
Joseph Bastianich was born on September 17, 1968, in Astoria, Queens, New York. His parents, Felice and Lidia Bastianich, came from Istria, a region that was once part of Yugoslavia and is now Croatia. They moved to the United States in 1958. Joe's mother feels very Italian, but she also connects with her Slavic family roots.
Joe grew up helping in his parents' Italian restaurant, Felidia, in Manhattan. He went to Fordham Preparatory School. After that, he studied finance at Boston College and earned a degree.
Joe Bastianich's Career
Becoming a Restaurateur
After college, Joe worked for a year on Wall Street as a bond trader. But he soon decided to try something different. He took a long trip to Italy. In 1993, he opened an Italian restaurant called Becco with his mother, Lidia Bastianich. Becco means 'peck' or 'nibble' in Italian.
Later, he teamed up with another chef, Mario Batali. They opened Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca. This Italian restaurant earned three stars from The New York Times. It was the first Italian restaurant to get such a high award in 40 years. Babbo also has one Michelin star.
Together, Joe and Mario opened many more restaurants in New York. These included Lupa, Esca, Casa Mono, Bar Jamon, Otto, Del Posto, and Eataly. In 2010, Del Posto received a four-star review from The New York Times. It was one of only five restaurants in New York to get this award.
Their group of restaurants grew very large. They had 10 restaurants in New York, four in Las Vegas, three in Los Angeles, and two in Singapore. They also opened Italian markets in Chicago, Boston, and London. Plus, they had two restaurants in Hong Kong.
Joe Bastianich has also written two award-winning books about Italian wine. His own story, Restaurant Man, became a New York Times Best Seller very quickly after it came out in 2012.
Television Appearances
Joe Bastianich became well-known on television. He was a judge on the American cooking show MasterChef on Fox. He also judged MasterChef Junior. He left these shows for a while in 2014 but returned to MasterChef Junior in 2018. He has been a full-time judge on MasterChef since June 2018.
He was also a judge on the Italian version of the show, MasterChef Italia, for eight seasons. In May 2019, Joe announced he was leaving MasterChef Italia to focus on his love for music. Later that year, he released his first music album, called "Aka Joe". In early 2020, he started a music tour in Italy, performing songs from his "New York Stories" album.
Joe has also been a guest judge on MasterChef Canada. He co-starred in the American reality show Restaurant Startup on CNBC. He was also an executive producer for that show.
In 2015, Joe made a special appearance in the TV movie An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success. He played a judge in a made-up season of MasterChef Junior.
From March 2016, he hosted the first season of Top Gear Italia. He also served as a judge on Italia's Got Talent and Family Food Fight Italia.
In 2024, Joe Bastianich appeared on The Masked Singer in season 11. He performed as "Spaghetti & Meatballs" and was eliminated on "Billy Joel Night."
Restaurants Owned
The company Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group owns several restaurants. Most of them are in New York City and Los Angeles. Some well-known ones include Becco in NYC, and Chi Spacca and Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles.
- BABBO Ristorante e Enoteca, New York City
- Bar Jamon, New York City
- Becco, New York City
- Birreria, New York City
- Casa Mono, New York City
- Chi Spacca, Los Angeles
- Eataly, New York City
- ESCA, New York City
- Lidia's, Kansas City, Missouri
- LUPA, New York City
- Mozza2Go, Los Angeles, California
- Orsone, Cividale del Friuli (Frazione Gagliano), Italy
- Joe's American BBQ, Milan, Italy
- Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles, California
- Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles, California / Newport Beach, California
- Tarry Wine, Port Chester
- Tarry Lodge, Port Chester (closed) / Westport, Connecticut
- Tarry Lodge, New Haven, Connecticut
Personal Life
Family Life
Joe Bastianich lives in New York City with his wife, Deanna. They have three children named Olivia, Ethan, and Miles. Joe also speaks Italian.
Filmography
Television Shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2010–2014; 2018–present | MasterChef | Himself / Judge / Guest Judge | 208 episodes |
| 2011–2019 | MasterChef Italia | Himself / Judge | 85 episodes |
| 2012 | MasterChef Poland | Himself / Guest Judge | 1 episode |
| 2013–2018 | MasterChef Junior | Himself / Judge | 36 episodes |
| 2014 | MasterChef Canada | Himself / Guest Judge | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Restaurant Startup | Himself | |
| 2020–2021 | Italia's Got Talent | Himself / Judge | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Top Gear Italy | Himself | 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Call My Agent - Italy! | Himself | Episode: Pierfrancesco e Anna |
| 2024 | The Masked Singer | Himself/Spaghetti & Meatballs | Season 11 contestant; episode: Group C Premiere: Billy Joel Night |
| 2024 | L'isola dei famosi | Himself | Contestant |
See also
In Spanish: Joe Bastianich para niños
