Joe Bastianich

Joseph Bastianich
Joseph Bastianich
Born	September 17, 1968 (age 58); Astoria, Queens, New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Restaurateur, author, television personality
Years active	1993–present
Known for	Ownership in Batali & Bastianich restaurants; judge on MasterChef (US and Italy)

Joseph Bastianich (born September 17, 1968) is a prominent American restaurateur, author, and television figure. Together with his mother and business collaborator Lidia Bastianich, he holds ownership stakes in thirty dining establishments spread across four nations, including the Los Angeles-based Osteria Mozza, which expanded in 2010. That same year, they joined forces with entrepreneur Oscar Farinetti to introduce Eataly, a high-end food and wine marketplace, with locations in cities such as Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, London, and Stockholm.

Early life and education

Joseph was born in Astoria, Queens to Felice and Lidia Bastianich, immigrants from Istria who settled in the United States after leaving the region during the 1958 Istrian exodus. Raised in his family’s Italian restaurant Felidia in Manhattan, he grew up immersed in the culinary world. Although his family identifies as Italian by nationality, genetic testing has revealed notable Yugoslavian and Southeastern European heritage on his mother's side. He completed his secondary education at Fordham Preparatory School and later obtained a degree in finance from Boston College.

Restaurateur

Initially working for a year as a bond trader on Wall Street, Bastianich transitioned into the culinary sector by opening Becco in 1993 alongside his mother, Lidia Bastianich. In partnership with Mario Batali, he established Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, which became the first Italian restaurant in four decades to receive three stars from The New York Times as well as one Michelin star. Their collaboration expanded to encompass seven additional New York venues: Lupa, Esca, Casa Mono, Bar Jamon, Otto, Del Posto, and the Italian market concept Eataly. Notably, in 2010 Del Posto earned an exceptional four-star review from The New York Times, a distinction shared by only five restaurants in New York City. Their restaurant portfolio grew to include ten establishments in New York City; four locations in Las Vegas; three in Los Angeles; two venues in Singapore; Italian marketplaces situated in Chicago, Boston, and London; plus two restaurants operating in Hong Kong. Following allegations of sexual harassment against Batali, he divested his shares to Bastianich and his sister Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Otto Enoteca Pizzeria closed amid the coronavirus pandemic; TimeOut highlighted its unique fusion of casual and upscale dining along with innovative items like olive oil gelato.

Bastianich has co-written two acclaimed books on Italian wine. His memoir titled Restaurant Man quickly became a New York Times Best Seller shortly after its release in May 2012.

Television

On television, Bastianich served as a judge on the American version of MasterChef broadcast on Fox, stepping down when scheduling conflicts arose. He also judged MasterChef Junior until 2015 when he was replaced by Christina Tosi after departing from the franchise at the end of 2014. He made a brief return for Season 6 of MasterChef Junior in 2018 and resumed full-time judging duties on MasterChef beginning with Season 9 in June 2018. Additionally, he was a judge on Italy’s edition of the show, MasterChef Italia, which aired on Sky Uno for its initial eight seasons. In May 2019, Bastianich left MasterChef Italia to dedicate more time to his music career; he released his debut album "Aka Joe" that September and followed it with a concert tour across Italy early in 2020.

He appeared as a guest judge during Season 1 of MasterChef Canada and co-starred alongside Tim Love and Antonia Lofaso on CNBC’s reality series Restaurant Startup, where he also acted as executive producer with Endemol Shine North America. In 2015, Bastianich featured as a judge in the television film An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success.

Beginning March 2016, he co-hosted the inaugural season of Top Gear Italia with Guido Meda and Davide Valsecchi. His judging roles extended to programs such as Italia's Got Talent and Family Food Fight Italia, both broadcast on Sky Uno during spring 2020.

In 2018, Bastianich drew criticism following controversial comments made during a segment filmed at a Milan nail salon for MasterChef Italia. He issued an apology clarifying that the segment was scripted and did not represent his personal views.

In 2024, he participated as the contestant "Spaghetti & Meatballs" on season 11 of The Masked Singer, where he was eliminated during the episode themed "Billy Joel Night."

Restaurants

The Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group manages a variety of dining establishments mainly located in New York City and Los Angeles. Notable venues include Becco in New York City, as well as Chi Spacca and Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles.

BABBO Ristorante e Enoteca, New York City
Bar Jamon, New York City
Becco, New York City
Birreria, New York City
Casa Mono, New York City
Chi Spacca, Los Angeles
Eataly, New York City
ESCA, New York City
Lidia's, Kansas City, Missouri
LUPA, New York City
Mozza2Go, Los Angeles
Orsone, Cividale del Friuli, Italy
Joe's American BBQ, Milan, Italy
Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles / Newport Beach
Tarry Wine, Port Chester
Tarry Lodge, Port Chester (closed) / Westport, Connecticut
Tarry Lodge, New Haven, Connecticut

Marriage and family

Bastianich lives in New York City with his spouse Deanna and their three children: Olivia, Ethan, and Miles. He is fluent in Italian.

Legal issues

Starting in 2015, multiple employees at Batali & Bastianich reported allegations of sexual harassment against Mario Batali. The Attorney General of New York conducted an investigation that revealed a pervasive environment of harassment and retaliation within Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. In March 2019, Batali relinquished his ownership shares in the partnership with the Bastianich family members Joe and Lidia. That same year, Bastianich and Batali reached a $600,000 settlement addressing claims from at least 20 former employees. Following these developments, the Bastianich family announced plans to rename B&B Hospitality Group to Pasta Resources by mid-2019.

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010–2014; 2018–present	MasterChef	Himself / Judge / Guest Judge	208 episodes
2011–2019	MasterChef Italia	Himself / Judge	85 episodes
2012	MasterChef Poland	Himself / Guest Judge	1 episode
2013–2018	MasterChef Junior	Himself / Judge	36 episodes
2014	MasterChef Canada	Himself / Guest Judge	3 episodes
2014	Restaurant Startup	Himself
2020–2021	Italia's Got Talent	Himself / Judge	3 episodes
2016	Top Gear Italy	Himself	6 episodes
2023	Call My Agent - Italy!	Himself	Episode: Pierfrancesco e Anna
2024	The Masked Singer	Himself/Spaghetti & Meatballs	Season 11 contestant; episode: Group C Premiere: Billy Joel Night
2024	L'isola dei famosi	Himself	Contestant

Bibliography

2015. Healthy Pasta: The Sexy, Skinny, and Smart Way to Eat Your Favorite Food. (Knopf)
2014. Giuseppino. Da New York all'Italia: storia del mio ritorno a casa. (Potter)
2013. Restaurant Man. (Knopf)
2010. Grandi Vini: An Opinionated Tour of Italy's 89 Finest Wines. (Potter)
2005. Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy. (Potter)

External links