A Conversation with Lidia Bastianich. Food, Family, and Italian Culture: More Than a Meal Around the Table. Tuesday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. Music Recital Hall, Santa Clara University. Click here for further information  

The 2017 Vari Symposium, an event of the Dr. Victor and Julia Botto Vari Italian Studies Initiative, proudly presents television personality, cookbook author, and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich. Lidia's passions of family and food, inspired by her Italian heritage, have been the foundation for a successful career as an author, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and beloved Public Television host and chef. Her PBS specials, especially, reflect the vision of the Vari Italian Studies Initiative to promote the study of all aspects of the life and culture of Italy, providing a broad cultural basis for understanding the Italian contributions in the history of the world and America, and how those achievements continue to influence our lives today.