Joe Bastianich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Joe Bastianich

Bastianich in 2011
Born	Joseph Bastianich (1968-09-17) September 17, 1968 (age 56) Queens, New York
Cooking style	Italian
Education	Boston College
Rating(s) Michelin stars
Current restaurant(s) Full list
Television show(s) Full list
Signature

Joseph "Joe" Bastianich (born September 17, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and television personality. He and his mother, Lidia Bastianich, own many restaurants together in different countries. They also helped bring Eataly, a special Italian food market, to many cities around the world, like New York City and London.

Early Life and Education

Joe Bastianich was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, in 1968. His parents, Felice and Lidia Bastianich, were immigrants from Istria, a region that is now part of Croatia. They moved to the United States in 1958.

Joe grew up helping out in his parents' Italian restaurant, Felidia, in Manhattan. He went to Fordham Preparatory School and then studied political science and philosophy at Boston College.

Career in Food and TV

Becoming a Restaurateur

After college, Joe worked for a year on Wall Street as a bond trader. But he soon decided to follow his passion for food. He traveled to Italy to learn more about Italian cooking.

In 1993, he opened Becco, an Italian restaurant, with his mother, Lidia. Later, he teamed up with chef Mario Batali to open Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca. This restaurant was very successful, earning three stars from The New York Times and one Michelin star. It was the first Italian restaurant in 40 years to get such a high rating from The New York Times.

Together, Joe and Mario opened many more restaurants in New York, including Lupa, Esca, and Del Posto. Del Posto also received a four-star review from The New York Times, which is a rare achievement. Their restaurant group grew to include locations in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Singapore, Chicago, Boston, London, and Hong Kong.

Joe Bastianich has also written two award-winning books about Italian wine. His memoir, Restaurant Man, became a New York Times Best Seller shortly after it was released in 2012.

Television Appearances

Joe Bastianich is well-known for being a judge on the American cooking show MasterChef, which airs on Fox. He was also a judge on MasterChef Junior. After taking a break, he returned to MasterChef as a full-time judge in 2018.

He was also a judge on the Italian version of the show, MasterChef Italia, for many seasons. In 2019, he decided to leave MasterChef Italia to focus on his music. He released his first album, "Aka Joe," and started a concert tour in Italy.

Joe has also been a guest judge on MasterChef Canada. He co-starred in the American reality show Restaurant Startup on CNBC, where he also served as an executive producer. In 2015, he made a special appearance in the TV movie An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success.

More recently, Joe has been a judge on other Italian TV shows like Italia's Got Talent and Family Food Fight Italia. In 2024, he competed on The Masked Singer as "Spaghetti & Meatballs."

Restaurants Owned

The Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group owns several restaurants, mainly in New York City and Los Angeles.

Personal Life

Joe Bastianich lives in New York City with his wife, Deanna, and their three children: Olivia, Ethan, and Miles. He is fluent in Italian.

Filmography

Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Joe Bastianich para niños