Beginning with almost Dickensian roots, working in his parents Felice and Lidia’s Italian restaurant in Queens, washing dishes, cleaning the sidewalk, and touring the jungle-like meat markets of the Bronx, Joe Bastianich’s life charts a culinary adventure that ends with this nice Italian boy becoming one of America’s premier restaurateurs — as well as a New York Times bestselling author and TV personality.

Joe and his partners preside over two dozen beloved eateries worldwide and in 2010, they teamed up with Italian retail pioneer Oscar Farinetti to bring Eataly, the world’s largest artisanal food and wine market, to New York.

The North and South American branches have since flourished, with locations in Chicago, São Paolo, the World Trade Center, Boston, and most recently, Los Angeles.