What Happened to Chef Lidia Bastianich’s Husband? Their Divorce & His 2010 Death
Lidia Bastianich has been a staple on PBS since her first show, Lidia’s Italian Table, premiered in 1998.
Before Lidia became a fixture on television, she was married to her husband, Felice “Felix” Bastianich, for more than 30 years. During their relationship, the couple owned two restaurants in Queens, as well as their famous Manhattan restaurant, Felidia.
Felice was 70 years when he died in December 2010. Scroll down to find out what happened to him, his marriage to Lidia, and more.
How did Lidia Bastianich meet her husband?
Lidia, who was born in Pula, Croatia, arrived in the United States with her family in 1958. Felice was also a Croatian immigrant. Felice and Lidia were introduced at her Sweet 16 party. Three years later, they tied the knot in 1966.
Do Lidia and Felice Bastianich have kids?
Yes, Lidia and Felice welcomed two kids together. Their son, Joe, was born in 1968, followed by a daughter, Tanya, in 1972.
Like his parents, Joe is involved in the restaurant industry. He and Lidia founded the popular New York City restaurant Becco in 1993. He also opened several restaurants with Mario Batali. After Batali was accused of sexual harassment, he sold his shares of the restaurants to Joe and Tanya. Joe has served as a judge on MasterChef and MasterChef Junior. He has been married to his wife, Deanna, since 1995 and they have three children.
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Tanya is also involved in the family restaurant business (she and Lidia co-own Lidia’s Kansas City) and works in production for her mother’s company, Tavola Productions. She is married to Corrado Manuali, with whom she helps oversee production on Lidia’s line of natural sauces. They have two children.
What happened between Lidia Bastianich and her husband?
Lidia and Felice divorced in 1998 after disagreeing about the pace at which Lidia was expanding her career as a restaurateur and television personality, according to New York Magazine.
After they divorced, Felice gave his shares of the restaurants they owned to Joe and Tanya.
How did Lidia Bastianich’s husband die?
Felice died on December 12, 2010, at the age of 70. He died from complications due to diabetes, according to NPR. Lidia confirmed that her ex-husband was diabetic when they were in the restaurant business together.
“I guess maybe it’s later onset of diabetes,” she told the outlet. “You know, the restaurant is a unique place where you could go off course in many different ways – whether it’s drinking, overeating, eating too many sweets and so on, eating late and so on. So he was a diabetic in the restaurant and moving on then for the rest of his life.”
