>> MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
NOW THIS.
FOR MANY PEOPLE WHO COME TO
AMERICA FROM A DIFFERENT COUNTRY
ACHIEVING THE AMERICAN DREAM IS
THE END GAME.
FOR OUR NEXT GUEST, SHE
ACCOMPLISHED THE AMERICAN DREAM
AND THEN SOME.
SHE WAS FIRST A REFUGEE WHO GAME
CAME TO THE UNITED STATES AFTER
BEING SPONSORED BY A CHARITY.
SHE BUILT A FOOD EMPIRE THAT
EARNED HER A JAMES BEARD AWARD
AND AN EMMY AWARD.
JOINING US IS LYDIA BASTIANICH,
AUTHOR OF A NEW BOOK.
LYDIA, IT IS WONDERFUL TO HAVE
YOU BACK ON THE PROGRAM.
>> IT'S A PLEASURE BEING HERE.
>> MARIA: I WAS TAKEN ABACK BY
YOUR STORY.
IT'S SO EMOTIONAL AND THE FACT
THAT YOU ACHIEVED WHAT YOU HAVE
ACHIEVED IS ONE IN A MILLION.
TAKE US BACK TO HOW YOU STARTED
BACK IN ITALY AND WHEN YOU FIRST
DECIDED TO COME TO AMERICA.
>> EVERYBODY WANTED TO KNOW MY
RECIPES AND I FOOD.
I WAS HAPPY WITH THAT.
THEN SLOWLY I SORT OF HAD THIS
FEELING, THEY WANT TO KNOW MORE
ABOUT ME.
MY STORY GOES BACK.
I WAS BORN IN ITALY.
AFTER WORLD WAR II, IT'S THIS
PENINSULA ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE,
ON HOUR EAST OVEN
ON HOUR EAST OFEN
ON HOUR EAST OF N
ON HOUR EAST OF VENICE.
AFTER WORLD WAR II, THE PARIS
TREATY, THE AREA WAS GIVEN TO
COME
COMMUNIST USE
COMMUNIST YSE
COMMUNIST YUGOSLAVIA.
MY PARENTS, WHERE WOULD THEY GO
WITH A SMALL BABY.
WE REMAINED.
THE IRON CURTAIN WENT UP AND WE
WERE CAUGHT IN COMMUNISM.
>> MARIA: TELL ME ABOUT LIVING
UNDER COMMUNIST RULE.
>> I WAS YOUNG.
THAT WAS THE WAY IT WAS.
BUT WE COULDN'T SPEAK ITALIAN.
WE COULDN'T GO TO CHURCH.
EVERYTHING WAS KIND OF -- THEY
EVEN PUT -- THEY TOOK MY FATHER
-- THEY TOOK MY FATHER'S
BUSINESS AWAY.
THEY DEEMED HIM A CAPITALIST.
HE WAS PUT IN PRISON FOR A
WHILE.
>> MARIA: HOW DARE HE BE A
CAPITALIST.
THEY EVEN TOLD YOU WHAT TO WEAR
AND YOU HAD VERY SPECIFIC THINGS
IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU COULD BUY.
>> WELL, THERE WAS LIMITED
SHOPPING, OF COURSE OF.
YOU HAD TO HAVE YOUR UNIFORM.
WE HAD A LITTLE HAT.
WE HAD A STAR ON THE HAT AS A
PIONEER, THEY CALLED US.
IT WAS VERY RESTRICTIVE.
AS A LITTLE CHILD, I DIDN'T
KNOW, THIS HUSH, HUSH, WE
COULDN'T SPEAK, MY PARENTS WOULD
WHISPER AND MY MOTHER PUT ME
ACTUALLY -- MY MOTHER WAS A
TEACHER, AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
TEACHER.
SHE PUT MY BROTHER AND I WITH MY
GRANDMOTHER OUT OF THE BIG CITY.
WE WERE A LITTLE FREER.
>> MARIA: WHEN YOU WERE IN THE
REFUGEE CAMP IN ITALY BEFORE YOU
CAME TO THE UNITED STATES, HOW
DID YOU GET THERE?
US WERE SPONSORED BY CATHOLIC
CHARITIES TO COME HERE, RIGHT?
>> EXACTLY.
WELL, IN 1956 MY PARENTS DECIDED
THAT THEY COULD NO LONGER RAISE
THEIR CHILDREN UNDER THAT SORT
OF OPPRESSION.
I WAS 9-SOMETHING.
MY MOTHER, MY BROTHER AND I WENT
ON THE OTHER SIDE.
WE HAD FAMILIES ON BOTH SIDES,
BECAUSE THE LINE WENT DOWN
ARBITRARILY AND WHO WAS HERE,
WHO WAS THERE.
BUT THEY WOULDN'T ALLOW THE
WHOLE FAMILY TO GO VISIT ACROSS
THE BORDER BECAUSE THEY KNEW WE
WOULDN'T COME BACK.
THEY KEPT MY FATHER AS A
HOSTAGE.
WE WENT TO VISIT MY AUNT,
SUPPOSEDLY SHE WAS SICK, THAT'S
WHY WE GOT THE VISA.
THEN TWO WEEKS LATER MY FATHER
LITERALLY ESCAPED THE BORDER.
HE ESCAPED, DOGS WERE CHASING
HIM.
HE MADE US AND HE JOINED US AND
WE REUNITED.
I REALIZED WE WERE NOT GOING
BACK AND AT THAT POINT MY FATHER
HAD NO PAPERS.
OUR VISAS WERE EXPIRED.
WE'VE HAD TO CLAIM -- WE HAD TO
REGISTER WITH SOMEBODY.
OTHERWISE THEY WOULD REPATRIATE
US, SEND US BACK.
WE WENT TO THE POLICE AND THE
POLICE REGISTERED US AT THIS
POLITICAL CAMP IN THE REFUGEE
CAMP AND WE STAYED THERE FOR TWO
YEARS BEFORE, MAKING THE
APPLICATIONS AND HOPING WE WOULD
COME TO AMERICA, WAS OUR FIRST
CHOICE.
>> MARIA: I'M GETTING THE
CHILLS.
SO THEN WHEN YOU CAME TO
AMERICA, YOU CAME THROUGH THE
STRUCTURAL WAY THAT LEGALS COME
TO AMERICA.
THIS WAS LEGAL IMMIGRATION.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAD NOBODY HERE.
THROUGH THE CATHOLIC CHARITIES,
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES AND THE
RED CROSS, THEY FILED THE PAPERS
FOR US.
DWIGHT EISENHOWER WAS THE
PRESIDENT.
HE OPENED THE IMMIGRATION FOR
POLITICAL REFUGEES.
REFUGEES FLEEING COMMUNISM, WE
WERE PART OF THAT.
>> MARIA: HOW LONG DID THE
PROCESS TAKE?
>> TWO YEARS.
>> MARIA: THEN YOU GOT YOUR
CITIZENSHIP AMERICA.
>>
.>> TWO YEARS TO GET VETTED TO
COME TO AMERICA.
WE HAD TO GO TO A LOT OF
INTERVIEWS.
WE WENT TO THE U.S. EMBASSY.
FINALLY WE WERE APPROVED.
WE HAD NOBODY HERE.
SO THE RELIEF SERVICES PAID FOR
OUR TRIP AND WHATEVER.
WE CAME HERE AND WE WERE SORT OF
WELCOMED BY THE CATHOLIC RELIEF
SERVICES, THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY,
PEOPLE THAT WERE WILLING TO GIVE
AND THEY SET US UP.
WE WERE IN 36th STREET IN A
HOTEL FOR THREE WEEKS AND THEN
THEY FINALLY FOUND A LITTLE HOME
FOR US IN NEW JERSEY.
MY FATHER WAS A MECHANIC.
MY LIFE AS AMERICANS BEGAN.
>> MARIA: THE TIME FROM WHEN YOU
FIRST WERE VETTED TO ACTUALLY
GETTING CITIZENSHIP, IN A LEGAL
WAY, WAS HOW LONG?
>> WE CAME HERE, I WAS -- THAT
WAS 1958.
I WAS 12.
AND THEN 18, YOU HAD TO BE 18 TO
BECOME A CITIZEN.
YOU GOT THE GREEN CARD AFTER TWO
YEARS AND THEN AFTER THE GREEN
CARD YOU HAD TO KEEP IT I THINK
FIVE YEARS OR SOMETHING AND THEN
YOU WERE ACCEPTED.
>> MARIA: WHAT AN EMPIRE YOU
CREATED.
FROM THEN, YOU SAID WHAT I DO
BEST, WHAT I'VE KNOWN MY WHOLE
LIFE, COOKING.
>> EXACTLY.
AMERICA, IT WAS SO WELCOMING,
SUCH A COUNTRY, SUCH A GREAT
COUNTRY.
SOMETIMES WHEN HEAR ALL THESE
THINGS, I SAY PEOPLE, THIS IS
THE GREATEST COUNTRY.
LOOK AT ME.
I'VE HAD ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES.
AND WE HAVE TO CHERISH THAT AND
WE HAVE TO PROTECT IT.