Mick Unplugged - Giada DeLaurentiis: The Secret Ingredient is Joy
Episode Date: August 20, 2026What if one of the most important ingredients in a healthy life isn’t actually on your plate? In this episode of Mick Unplugged, Mick Hunt sits down with Emmy Award-winning chef, bestselling auth...or, restaurateur, and Giadzy founder Giada De Laurentiis for a joyful conversation about food, family, entrepreneurship, community, and la dolce vita. Giada shares how a shy young chef learned to tell stories to millions of viewers, why audience feedback transformed her into a stronger teacher, and how her desire to cut through the noise of the food industry became the foundation for Giadzy. She explains what makes high-quality Italian ingredients different, why Giadzy’s gluten-free pasta surprised even her, and how small Italian producers helped inspire a growing lifestyle marketplace. The conversation goes beyond cooking. Giada explains why the people at your table can affect how you experience and digest a meal, why joy and connection belong in the conversation about longevity, and how she is bringing her businesses together through her new Chicagoland restaurant, Sorella by Giada. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN • How Giada overcame shyness and learned to teach through storytelling • Why repetition and audience feedback are essential to becoming a great teacher • How Giadzy grew from a blog into a marketplace for Italian pantry products • What makes bronze-cut, slow-dried Italian pasta different • Why Giadzy’s gluten-free pasta became an unexpected breakthrough product • How stress, connection, and the people at your table shape the experience of food • Why la dolce vita is more than indulgence—it is part of health and longevity • How Giada is connecting her media, product, and restaurant businesses LISTENER OFFER / FEATURED PROMOTION ACTIVE LISTENER OFFER 1 — The next 20 people who DM “GIADZY” to @mickunplugged on Instagram receive a $100 Giadzy gift card. ACTIVE LISTENER OFFER 2 — The first 20 people who DM “SUPER ITALIAN” to @mickunplugged on Instagram receive a copy of Giada’s Super-Italian cookbook. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Giada’s impact on Mick and learning to tell stories on television 03:37 — What’s your because? 08:49 — The Unplugged Truth: how Giada changed Mick’s relationship with pasta 12:58 — Building Giadzy from audience feedback 15:28 — The unexpected success of gluten-free pasta 20:59 — Hot Takes: cauliflower rice, coconut, and food trends 23:46 — The secret ingredient: joy, connection, and la dolce vita 26:16 — Sorella by Giada and bringing the businesses together 28:51 — The Unplugged Five 31:23 — Super-Italian, Mick’s cookbook offer, and the send-off Connect & Discover Giada: Website: giadadelaurentiis.com Website: giadzy.com Instagram: @giadadelaurentiis Facebook: @giada X: @GDeLaurentiis TikTok: @giadadelaurentiis YouTube: @gdelaurentiis Cookbook: Super-Italian FOLLOW MICK ON: Spotify: MickUnplugged Instagram: @mickunplugged Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast LinkedIn: @mickhunt Website: MickHuntOfficial.com Website: howtobeagoodleader.com Website: Leadloudseries.com Apple: MickUnplugged
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Think about when you're on the go or you're eating and you're stressed out.
How does your stomach feel?
I don't think it matters if you ate a light meal or a heavy meal.
You're probably not going to feel well.
If we can be laughing and having fun and enjoying the people that were around while we're eating,
we will feel better.
That piece of the longevity piece is just as important as the food you're putting on the table.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another exciting episode of Mick Unplode.
And today, I have a guest that I'm going to open up to because she has no idea how she has personally changed my life.
I'm talking about from Food Network kitchens to building lifestyle empires.
She has redefined what it means to be a modern culinary force.
She's a best-selling author, an Emmy Award winner, and a true entrepreneur.
Please join me and welcoming the visionary of the authentic, the Jada, Dillarentas.
Jada, how you doing today, Dale?
I'm great. How are you? Thanks for having me.
No, thank you for being here and just thank you for being present and the person that you are.
So I'm going to let you know something that you don't know that I'm probably going to get in trouble for and I'll just have to deal with it because you know Robert Irvine is my best friend.
Yes.
But I didn't start watching Food Network or Robert Irvine until you.
Like, you are the person that brought me into the food culture.
And it was simple.
It was because, one, your presence was amazing.
But two, it was like you were storytelling and teaching me personally, like, how to make really cool dishes.
And I got to appreciate all the different things that you brought to the table.
So, Jada, thank you more than you know.
Well, thank you for watching. I think honestly, when I started my journey on Food Network,
I was incredibly shy and it took me a long time to get comfortable to tell those stories and just
comfortable cooking and talking at the same time. I think I'm not sure that everybody,
I mean, maybe now they realize it, but it's difficult to storytell, be comfortable and follow a recipe
and make it look easy and not stress
if things you know are happening
that shouldn't be happening.
And, you know, you also have a lot of people watching you
that are not really watching you.
They're sort of looking at their phones
while you're doing your demo
and they're reading a magazine
and you're just like,
who am I talking to?
I'm talking to a black screen.
I've got nothing to look at.
Like, there's a black hole there
and there's nothing, nobody behind it.
So I think in the beginning days,
it was very difficult.
So the fact that, that,
over the 20-some years that I was doing it,
it became impressionable and somehow really connected people
is really a gift.
I could never have imagined.
Well, it totally is you and you totally have a gift.
And I'm glad that you said that you make it look easy
because, you know, I have all of your cookbooks, right?
Like, all of them.
And the first few times that I tried to make something,
I was like, it's not as easy as she made it look on TV.
Like there's patience.
Like cooking taught me pay.
No, no, no, no.
No, no.
The cookbooks totally make it easy to follow through.
I'm talking about when I was watching what you were doing on TV and it was like,
let me try to replicate it that way.
Which is why we, that's why I did cookbooks, right?
Because people kept saying to me, wouldn't it be great to have it written down?
I'm like, why?
You can just watch the show and write it down.
It's cheaper that way.
And people are like, no, no, no, if it's in a book, then there's a photo.
and we can revert back to it.
You can give us little, like, hints that maybe we missed on the show.
So that's why we did the cookbook.
So it makes me happy to know that it was helpful.
No, totally helpful because trying to follow you on TV, I was like,
nah, I can do it, but I can't do it in 30 minutes.
Right?
Like, I can't do it that way.
Well, there's a lot of editing, as we all know, well, right?
Like, you only see the good stuff.
Yeah.
Jada, again, honored to have you here.
And I always ask my guest this first question about there be caught.
right, that thing that's deeper than your why.
Like if I were to ask you what's your why, I'm sure I'm going to get your family,
your friends, and giving back.
But then when I say, but why are those things important, that sentence usually starts
with, well, because, and I care about that moment.
And what the world probably doesn't see is all the humanitarian things,
the philanthropy that you do, and how you give and give and give.
And so what's your because for that today?
Like, why does Giata continue to do the things that you do?
I think that my because is connected to, you know,
after the many years of doing what I do,
which is cooking on television and putting out cookbooks
and understanding what people are looking for
and how they want to be connected to a community.
And cooking to me is a community.
And I think that over the years,
from the actual cooking to the cookbooks, to the restaurants,
there's so much noise in the food world
with whatever kind of, whether it's products
and we're learning new things every day about our food source.
And to cut through that noise
and sort of give people direction and have them trust somebody
that they're going to help them sort of weed through all of that information
has led me into doing what I do on Jodzzi with my Italian products
and really helping people understand how to use these products,
what they should look for even if they're not buying my products,
and how to better their lives.
And that's really the because, because I don't think that will ever stop.
I think that we will always be curious.
We will always want to do better for ourselves and we'll always be evolving.
And so I learn so much and I find that it resonates when I share it.
And so I just want to answer and help people through the struggle of all the noise that goes around in the crowded marketplace.
of all different marketing that is happening every single day around us.
And I just want to help them feed their families and feel well.
And you do amazing at that.
And that's, you know, again, right before I call, I was talking to Robert,
and I was even telling him, I think one of the things I appreciate the most about Jada is this,
is that you feel care in everything that you do.
Like, I feel that you care.
I feel that you're putting others first.
and I feel family, right?
Not just the TV shows,
but when you look at what you're doing as an entrepreneur,
when you look at the conversations that you have,
it's just like you genuinely care so much about others.
And to me, that makes you one of the greatest humans that I know.
Oh, my goodness.
I'm blushing.
I think I do care a lot.
Yes.
I grew up in a family who, I think because I'm an immigrant to this country and I came here when I was seven with my family from Italy, my family taught me to truly care about the people around me that if you create that community, that's the community that will get you through any hard time.
You know, we need each other.
I think we've lost that a little bit with all the social media.
I think there's wonderful things that social media has brought us.
It's connected us in one way, but also alienated.
us and others. And I think there is no greater gift we can give each other than to spend time in the
kitchen cooking for each other. And I think that, yes, I do care. And I do care as to what I do
and how the messaging goes out and how people receive it and I care about feedback. And I think
all of those things make us better. Are they exhausting? Yeah, they're exhausting. And sometimes I'm like,
I also need my quiet time where it's just me on my own to sort of reboot.
And I think we all do.
But yeah, I truly care to do.
Maybe to a fault at times.
But I see that because I feel like I'm the same way.
And sometimes we care more for others than either we should or sometimes than they do about themselves or the mission that they're trying to push.
So I totally get what you're saying there.
I want to move to something.
I think people can see that.
I think people see that.
Yeah. Wholeheartedly.
Yeah.
Wholeheartedly.
Yeah.
So I want to give you some praise and give you your flowers on what you've taught me personally about food.
And again, I'm going to get in trouble because Robert taught me how to make eggs, even though I don't eat eggs.
But here's an unplugged truth.
You taught me how to appreciate pasta.
Because growing up for me, like I wasn't a huge fan of pasta except spaghetti.
So I always associated pasta with spaghetti.
Sure.
Many people do.
So watching Jada and then the first cookbook that I got from you,
I got to truly understand what good pasta was like.
So I'll tell you the reason I didn't like pasta was because I was cooking it way too long.
So I didn't know what I was doing with making it.
But then understanding how to, my words,
commingle it with other foods and ingredients and understanding the essence.
sense of the right oils.
Like, you open my mind as so much.
Like, when did you know that that was a thing for you of how to teach others, how to
appreciate Italian cuisine, Mediterranean cuisine, but not what we think of here in the States
when pasta is spaghetti for those.
Well, I think the way you see pasta is very much where how a lot of people for a long time
saw pasta.
And there's probably still people out there that still.
see it that way. I, you know, I grew up cooking and I grew up in an Italian family and my family
imported a lot of the ingredients that we used because in the 70s when I moved here, we didn't
have ricotta cheese. We didn't have mascaponi cheese. We didn't have really barely any pastas,
no jarred sauces, barely tomatoes, no olive oils. Like all of that stuff didn't exist. I think
people don't realize. And that was only, what, 50 years ago? So we've come a really long way.
But so we imported everything. I didn't think what I was doing was that unique. Yes, did I see at
school that people ate differently than I did? Yeah, but I don't know. I think when you're a kid,
you feel like everybody lives the life you live at home. Right. Yeah. So as I grew up, I started to
realize, oh, I am different. And I knew I was different even at a young age because I ate lunch by myself.
for a long time when I was very little,
because my mother would give me chocolate sandwiches
or leftover pasta, and the kids were like,
you're weird, you're just friggin' weird,
and we don't want to be around you.
So I did realize it, but I didn't.
At the same time, it was so much ingrained in my food
and in my lifestyle and culture.
And so I think that it didn't dawn on me
until I started doing some stuff for Food Network,
and until I started everyday Italian.
And I got feedback that like, this is great.
We didn't know this.
Tell us more.
And I thought, you didn't know that?
What do you mean?
You didn't know that?
And I think you don't realize it when you live it every single day.
You don't think it's that unique.
And so it was the people who watched my shows and the feedback I got that taught me,
oh, people don't know this.
And I should repeat it 20 times.
I should tell people they should put a ton of salt in their water for their pasta,
because that's the first step to seasoning it.
I should tell them that the pasta should be L'Elde-de-de,
and how to see, how to test that.
Like, all these things that I thought,
if I just say it once, we're done.
But in learning to be a good teacher,
you realize repetition is the way people learn.
You repeat yourself and you repeat yourself
and you repeat yourself.
And eventually it sticks, right?
And so it was really feedback.
Like, I didn't know it until I got feedback from everybody.
And I'm sure that you doing your podcast, you get feedback and you realize, oh, I should do that more because people like that or they learned a lot.
I already knew this, but they clearly didn't.
So feedback from followers and from people who were foodies is really how I learned it.
So speaking of feedback, I want to give you even more praise.
Like this is like me just gushing over Jada right now.
But JOTC, you're a direct-to-consumer.
And for everybody that's watching or listening,
I have links to JOTC in the show notes in the descriptions
and social just click the button.
But I love the entrepreneur side of you,
but more importantly, the products that you have,
this e-commerce brand is so fire.
Like, I'm constantly ordering stuff.
I shouldn't admit it, but I don't care.
I'm admitting.
Why, you can admit it.
Yeah, I'm constantly.
ordering, and I do a lot of cooking, right?
Like, I do a lot of gatherings with family and friends.
And so everybody's like, oh, so this new sauce that you got, did you get it from Jossi?
And so now they're going on there too just because you've made it so accessible.
And it's amazing products, amazing ingredients.
I'd love for you to talk a little bit about what made you want to start that and be that true
entrepreneur that was budding inside of you the whole time.
Yeah, you know, again, it's when I was doing my shows, one of the feedback that I kept getting was people kept asking, well, what brand of olive oil are you using? What brand of pasta? And you know, when you do these kind of food shows, you're not allowed to show any brands. And you're really not allowed to talk about brands because everything is white labeled, right, for marketing and advertising purposes. And so I realized that people really wanted some guidance. They wanted to understand. They wanted to understand.
understand. So if I'm going to spend the time and energy to make your dishes, I really want to use
the products that are going to deliver on that promise that you made when you made that dish.
And so that's really what led into Jodzzi. And, you know, I realized that a lot of the products
were products that I had been using from my parents, that I had learned from my parents, that
we either imported or now you could find. And a lot of them were purveyors in Italy that were
small farmers that were producing this stuff. And so I just decided, you know, during
COVID, I'm like, people can't get stuff. I'm going to start importing stuff and making kits
with the products that I love that I use and put them along with my recipe and then shift them
to people. And that's how Jodzzi really started. I mean, it started earlier as a blog, but this is
when the marketplace really started. And what I started to realize is the things that people loved
were the olive oils, the tomatoes, the pastas. Okay, here's something my younger self would have benefited
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And so I started to really hone in on those products and really make it streamlined.
And what I realized as well is that gluten-free pasta was becoming the home run.
And that was the sort of, yeah, that was sort of, that was sort of, that was sort of,
the front runner.
And I'm not a gluten-free.
I'm not gluten-free.
I have gluten-free people in my family.
I do, but I am not.
So I was really surprised to see it was gluten-free pasta.
And again, that only came about because so many of my followers were like,
we want a great gluten-free pasta, one that holds up to the sauce,
one that is great the next day, where people aren't coming over and saying,
oh, yeah, that's gluten-free, where they can't tell.
So I'm not making multiple dishes to make everybody happy in my family,
or in a crowd of friends when I'm having a dinner party.
And so that's, I worked really hard to kind of source that.
And that became what became, you know, the number one product on the site.
And now, you know, we launched into retail and the retailers are craving this gluten-free pasta,
where I think there might be a hole in the marketplace as to, yes, there are other gluten-free pastas,
but they don't deliver on that promise that it's going to be,
you're not going to be able to tell the difference between the two
and that it's clean without, you know, fillers and gums,
which a lot of gluten-free pastas have, sadly,
and from Italy, and bronze-cut, and slow-dried,
and all of the other things that matter in the end of the day
to make a great pasta that now people have, you know, learned about.
Yeah, so I almost got into an argument with family
that didn't believe that it was gluten-free
because again, I don't, I'm not gluten-free by any stretch imagination either.
But when I made it for myself first, and I was like, this is freaking amazing.
Because I've had other gluten-free pasta and it was like, okay, it's okay.
It'll do if I have to, right?
Correct.
That's me.
But that and then the nickel-free tomatoes.
Like, people were arguing with me that this is not gluten-free.
I had to go get boxes and show and pull up your website.
Like, I promise you, this is it.
And everybody was so blown away that now whenever I have a get-tog, I could be on the smoker smoking something.
And people want your gluten-free pasta.
Like, okay, great.
We'll have burgers and pasta.
Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that.
Nothing wrong with it.
But, yeah, I think that it's really blown me away.
And it's, I've eaten a lot more gluten-free.
pasta in the last couple years, all having to do with the fact that it is just so great when
you cook it and you just cannot tell the difference. I would also say that my pasas, do you know what
Pasata is? Have you tried the Pasata? If you haven't, I should send you some. Yeah. The Pasata is
also and the cherry tomatoes, those are also some of my favorite products just because it's, again,
just tomatoes without sugar. A lot of Pasattas in this country have a lot of things added to them.
they're naturally sweet.
They have no skin and no seeds,
which is something my daughter really likes,
because I found that here in America,
people like smooth sauces.
Where in Italy, we like chunkier sauces.
We like the texture of the tomato broken up
and the skin and the seeds, like, but here they don't.
So the pasta is like drinkable.
It's that good.
It really isn't.
So here's what I'm going to do.
I usually do this at the end of the show,
but I want to do it right now because we're talking about it.
because I know you're a giver, I'm going to be a giver too, because I support you so much.
Here's what I'm going to do.
The next 20 people that message me on, let's just use Instagram because I know that you're on Instagram too,
the next 20 people that message me, Jazzi, and I'll have the links there.
I'm going to give like a $100 gift card so that they can go order some stuff because I want to create so many raving fans of what you.
do. So I'm essentially giving out $2,000 that's going to go straight to Jocci because you're going to
love the products. Like I promise you, the gluten-free, the oils, the pastas. Like, I was never a regatoni
fan, but I love yours. I love it. I didn't like the thickness before, but I just, I love it.
I know. I get it. I get it. The shanks, though, I think, are what also make us unique. Do we have
spaghetti? Yes, we do.
We have a lot of, you know, the regular shapes, but to me, the uniqueness are the shapes that I grew up with.
The Nadi Marini, the Medzi Rigatoni, the Kazareche, the Oriquete, the Stelina.
Like, those are the ones that, to me, shine.
They just do.
And they make eating pasta regularly much more interesting.
Totally agree.
So, again, if you're listening, if you're watching, message me directly on Instagram, Jadzi.
I'm going to give you $100 to go spend.
And then I want you to tell Jada what you love.
Like, what did you purchase, what you love, and how you're doing it.
Like, film yourself.
Like, we're going to, like, just trust me.
I love it.
I love it.
All I can tell you is trust me.
I love it.
I love it.
Thank you.
Absolutely.
So I'm going to move to this segment I call Hot Takes.
Okay.
Here's something my younger self would have benefited from.
Most of us picked a bank at 16 and never looked back.
And it's been nickel and diamond.
us ever since. That's where Chime
comes in. Chime is changing the way
people bank. They're not like those traditional
old banks that gate keep the perks
and pile on fees unless you carry
some massive balance. Chime is the
most rewarding fee-free banking.
No overdraft fees, no monthly
fees, no minimum balance fees.
Here's where it stacks up. You get
5% cash back on your Chime card
in a category you choose, like
gas or groceries. You build credit
through regular everyday spending with
no credit check. Your savings grow
at a rate nine times the national average.
And if you're ever in a pinch,
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Join the millions who are already banking fee-free
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That is chime.com slash Mick.
It only takes a few minutes to sign up,
and Mick Unplugged listeners can earn up to an extra $350.
Chime is a fintech, not a bank.
Banking services and Chime card provided by Chimes Bank Partners,
Qualifying direct deposits required.
Terms and limits apply.
Go to chime.com slash disclosures for detail.
Because you gave me the hottest take ever when you told me you don't like cauliflower rice.
I don't.
And the funny thing is I like cauliflower, but I don't like cauliflower rice.
I also don't like red peppers or green peppers for that matter.
And I don't like coconut either.
So coconut cakes, anything with that.
coconut. I don't touch. So like, there are things. I'm allergic. If you ever want to kill me,
give me coconut flakes. I can drink coconut water, but the flakes. How can you drink coconut water?
Because it's the actual flakes. Like, I'm allergic to the actual whatever enzyme is in the
flake, the protein of the flake, like can't process it. My throat closes up. But coconut water,
totally fine. Weird. Okay. Okay. Okay. Fair enough. Yeah, I think. Jada just calling me weird.
I'm not allergic to any of those things, so I don't think you'd kill me, but I would not feel well.
I'll just say that.
But yeah, cauliflower rice, it's not that I won't feel.
I don't know.
There's something weird texture-wise with cauliflower rice.
I just, I've never been, it's not my thing.
Is it yours?
No, not at all.
I just got into doing cauliflower crust on pizza.
You can hate me for that, too, but that's all I got into.
I'd probably just not eat pizza to be.
honest. But I guess that's like saying, you know, if you're not gluten-free, you might as well not
eat gluten-free pasta. I don't know. But I think that it hasn't been, it just hasn't been
perfected just yet. I will just say the texture's a little strange and my stomach never feels
good afterwards. So I don't know what the heck they're putting in that cauliflower crust, but my
stomach does not like it. Like, trust me, it's not my favorite thing. But if I have cauliflower or anything,
I can. You can do the.
pizza. Okay. All right, fair enough. Another hot take that you've had that truly resonates with me,
you said, enjoy your life and like who you eat food with. And like food is so much more enjoyable
when it's great company. And I didn't really start to appreciate that until I was reading that
statement from you. And it made me pause and say, you know what? All
the family get-togethers, and we have good food, but like I started making food like the center
point because of you. You truly enjoy those moments better. The food tastes better when you're
around people that you enjoy. Talk to us a little bit about that and why that's so important.
You know, in my last cookbook when I was writing about food, and one of the ingredients I was
I was talking a lot about just ingredients that have nutrition, right?
Because I think we forget that we need to add some nutrient-dense ingredients to things,
like capers, let's say, or anchovies, or even olive oil, garlic is one.
One of the ingredients that I think we kind of forget is that La Dolcea vita, the enjoyment of our life,
and who we eat with and who we sit down at a table with
is a big part of the joy that kind of drives the body
and helps the body to break down food
and the way that it absorbs food.
I think that people still, and they're getting better at this,
but I think a lot of times,
think about when you're on the go or you're eating and you're stressed out, right?
How does your stomach feel?
I don't think it matters if you ate a light meal or a heavy meal.
you're probably not going to feel well.
And it has a lot to do with the type of enzymes
and the way your body reacts to the nervous system.
You know, they're all so interconnected to each other
that if we can be laughing and having fun
and enjoying the people that were around while we're eating,
we will feel better.
Longevity is, that piece of the longevity piece
is just as important as the food you're putting on the table.
Right?
So if you're sitting down with your family and there's a lot of arguments and things going on,
chances are your body's not going to absorb that nutrition in the same way, that it would
if it was enjoyable.
So I think it's really, I always tell people it's really important to think about who you're eating with
and how you're eating the food, like not over the sink in, you know, under 20 minutes
or under 10 minutes, which is really, or a bite here and a bite there, but actually allowing
the time to sit down and enjoy each other. And that is part of the Italian lifestyle. We really do,
you know, we really put a lot of effort into that and we think about each meal. Like we eat
breakfast and we think about what's lunch and what's dinner going to be like. Who's going to be at the table?
How are we going to set the table? What are we going to eat? Like we put a lot of stock into that.
And I think that is part of our longevity and happiness piece.
Amen. Amen. Amen completely.
You always have so much going on.
I want to give you the floor to talk about what's new.
Like, what all do you have coming up?
Where in the world is Jada going to be in the next five minutes, right?
Like, the floor is yours.
Like, what all do you have going on?
What's new with Jada?
Well, I'm on the East Coast, so I'm going to spend some time in New York right now working.
And then I will be in Chicago next week to open another restaurant outside of Chicago in a town called Aurora,
which for those people who know, yeah, you know, Chicago is, I don't know where are you based, but...
I'm in South Carolina, but I'm in Chicago quite a bit.
Yeah, so this is in Chicago land, as I've been taught to say.
Yeah. And Chicago, you know, people live so far out of the main city of Chicago.
And so we're going to open up in Aurora and we open next week and I'm really excited.
I've been going back and forth between the two and next week, finally we open the doors.
We take reservations.
And so I've been working on this project and building it for over a year now.
So it's been really exciting to see it all come together.
And we're going to sell Jodzie products in it.
Like it's trying to bring all of the businesses together so that there's some kind of synergy between all of it.
And I think that's been sort of my mission is to bring these businesses together.
So they all feed each other.
And it makes more sense that way instead of them all living in a silo on their own.
You know, so that's been my big, my big project.
I love that.
I love that.
So I'm going to do another something.
How about this?
Because I don't know when it's going to be July or August, but I'm going to be in the Chicago area.
So I'm going to bring some guests with me.
And we're going to come experience the new restaurant.
Well, you've got to let me know.
It's called, it's called Sorella.
So that means sister in Italian.
Nice. Maybe I'll bring my sister. How about that? So, Rochelle, you'll get to me. Yeah,
Rochelle, you come with me. Maybe we'll even, we'll do something cool. Like, I'll do some good social and maybe record some stuff there. But Serrella.
We'd love to host you. We'd love it. So thank you. Yes. Absolutely. I'm excited.
Me too. Me too. You've made my day. You've totally made my day. Again, I know how busy you are, so I'm not going to hold you. You've been amazing. I'm going to get you. I'm going to
get you out of here on what I call my unplug five.
So rapid fire, five questions.
Got it.
Okay.
Ready?
I don't know.
Am I?
I think so.
I think you are.
What's one tool in the kitchen that you can't live without?
Probably my Santuku knife.
Small enough that I can hold it, not so heavy.
Okay.
Okay.
Who's one person you've used?
yet to cook for that you can't wait to cook for.
Who would that be?
Actually, you know what?
I've never cooked for Martha Stewart, and I do love her.
Ooh.
We're acquaintances, but we're not, you know, I've never cooked for her before.
So I would like to cook for her.
Okay.
What's something that you could teach someone to cook perfectly in 60 seconds or less?
Not saying that the cook has to be done in 60 seconds or less,
but you could walk them through how to cook.
something perfectly in 60 seconds or less.
Lemon spaghetti.
Okay.
Okay.
I love that.
I love that.
When the story in the book of Jax's being told and written, what's one word you want to make sure is in there?
Find.
I love that.
I love that.
I love that.
And if you were to start, this is the most important question of the day, by the way.
If you were to start another cooking show, how much do I have to pay to be your sous chef?
Free!
I love sous chefs.
I'll take anybody that wants to help.
There you go.
That does include the dishes, though.
Oh, I'll hire somebody for the dishes.
Don't worry about it.
So everybody hates me because I still hand-washed dishes.
Like, I rarely use a dishwasher.
Like, it's therapeutic for me to hand-washed dishes.
I don't.
I probably will take longer than you want.
No, I don't disagree.
Although I will say every once in a while,
like you should put them in the dishwasher just for that intense heat
that you probably aren't giving the dishes.
But I actually agree that I think dishes are quite therapeutic.
I just don't feel like doing it all the time.
True.
Very, very true.
Jada, I've been honored to have you on.
For everybody that's watching this listening again,
we have links to all things, Zada.
here click below, support, follow, go to the online store,
order some of these cookbooks.
That's something else I'm going to do.
You tell me which one.
Do you want Super Italian?
Do you want me to order something else?
Super Italian, I think is so helpful for people.
There's a lot of great information in Super Italian, yeah.
Okay.
So the first set, you're going to message me, Jotsie,
and I'm going to give you $100 to go spend.
And second set, I'm going to buy the book.
So the first 20 people that message me super Italian, I'm going to get you that cookbook.
Wow.
My goodness.
You are very generous.
That is.
You've changed my life and perspective on food so much that it's honestly the least that I can do.
And I freaking love the product.
So, like, this is my way of saying, Zada, I support you and I stand beside you.
So it's the least I could do.
Thank you.
And thank you for inviting me.
This is really fun.
It was a really great chat.
No, this has been awesome.
You have been awesome.
And for all the viewers and listeners, remember, your because is your superpower.
Go Unleash it.
