The line to meet Giada de Laurentiis at South Coast Plaza was so long it stretched past two restaurants.

About 450 fans of the Food Network chef and author waited patiently at Williams-Sonoma this afternoon with copies of her fourth and latest cookbook, “Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites” ($32.50).

The first in line was Matthew Nguyen, of Westminster, who arrived at 7:30 a.m., four and a half hours before de Laurentiis was scheduled to arrive.

“I like her. She’s always having fun when she cooks,” said Nguyen, a pharmaceutical student who admits he only makes Vietnamese food.

Joseph Goriel, 17, a high school student from Villa Park who attended the book signing with his mother and sister, is the opposite - he only uses de Laurentiis’ recipes.

His family recently acquired a 70-inch high-definition TV that is visible from the kitchen. Joseph Tivos her show, then pauses it at key moments so he can cook along with her.

So did his family get that TV for de Laurentiis? Yes, they replied, perhaps only half-jokingly.

(Photo of Giada de Laurentiis greeting Misti Blodgett and sons Wyatt, 4, and Sawyer, 2 months, by Candice Shih, The Register. Click HERE for more photos.)

Her fans showed their deep dedication to her when she arrived promptly at 1 p.m., armed with signing pens and a wide smile.

Kimmie Chung, a high school art teacher from San Diego, gave de Laurentiis a painting she did of the Hazelnut Crunch Cake featured in her new book.

Diana Bergantino, of Laguna Niguel, told her that her show was therapy for her family. Bergantino’s grandson Jeffrey, 10, died last year from blood clots in his brain, and his sister, Bailey, 14, would turn to de Laurentiis’ show for comfort.

Bergantino gave de Laurentiis, who became a mother this year, a heart necklace that many of Jeffrey’s friends and family wears. The chef gave the grieving grandmother a hug and signed a cookbook for Bailey.

Click HERE for a slideshow of the book signing. Click HERE for Giada de Laurentiis’ Web site.

More from the South Coast Plaza blog:

• First of seasonal stores to open Friday
• FAO Schwarz coming back to South Coast
• Designer fragrance being sold in $1,500 Matisse bottles
• O.C. Barons’ Ball comes to South Coast this year
• Beauty experts available at Sephora’s 10th anniversary party
• Bang & Olufsen back open

For more on South Coast Plaza, see list of links on right-hand side of this blog.

Posted in: Uncategorized • Events • Food and drinks • Personal appearances |

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.