In the high-profile world of celebrity chefs, few have more name recognition than Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, the woman who almost single-handedly redefined American palates when it comes to what Italian cuisine is, and should be, in this country.

The breadth of her knowledge and passion as it relates to Italy’s food traditions through its various regions can’t be underestimated, as her take on the cuisine virtually revolutionized the idea of what we mean when we say “Italian cooking.”