(upbeat jazz music) - [Lidia] My family had grown to include my mother, my two children, and five grandchildren.

It was only natural for me to include them all in my show.

Hi, Joe.

- Hello.

- Buongiorno.

By then, my son, Joe, and daughter, Tanya, had their own lives, but I loved having them in the kitchen.

(upbeat jazz music continues) The ones that really got into it were my grandkids, because I had them when they were small.

What are we making?

- Gnocci.

- Gnocci.

- Okay.

So, cleaning the potatoes.

You're shaving it?

- We're shaving it.

- Oh, Mamma Mia.

You've done it before.

(sifter clanks) - Yeah, I have once or twice.

(upbeat jazz music continues) - This Lorenzo Manuali, my grandson, and this is Miles Bastianich.

(upbeat jazz music continues) So proud of you guys, I really am.

(Ethan chuckles softly) I love having you in the kitchen, guys, it's the best.

(Lidia speaks in foreign language) (child replies in foreign language) - She definitely loves teaching, especially her grandchildren.

You can see it just puts a smile on her face.

- She just loves being around family, and grandkids, and usually there's always one missing, and it always like, you know, irks her a little bit, (laughs) you know?

- I know, Olivia's missing, but, okay, she had a wedding to go to.

(pan sizzling) There you go.

A little more.

Yeah, I would do that.

- [Julia] This looks really good.

- Rub your hands like that, just like Nonni.

That's it.

Flour a little bit, your board.

- There.

- Okay, just like that, the whole board.

(upbeat jazz music continues) - Something that always comes to mind is standing on chairs to reach the countertops, flour everywhere, and not really getting much done.

(upbeat jazz music continues) (whisk thudding) - You guys got the moves.

So, who wants to knead a little bit here?

Julia.

(upbeat jazz music continues) Okay, come on, Ethan, your turn.

(upbeat jazz music continues) I know, when you were kids, you used to love to knead into it.

(upbeat jazz music continues) Nonni's gonna give each one a nice piece of dough.

This is yours.

- Ah, dough!

- Okay.

- The kids being on the show was something natural for Lidia.

I mean, she wanted to let other people see how you can easily get kids involved in the kitchen.

You can make it fun for them.

- Okay, Julia, roll it.

Roll it, that's it.

- Now, we're making it warm.

- You, you know.

Are you ready to cut?

- Uh-huh.

- Okay, that's a good job.

- Clearly, it allows her to express an awful lot of joy when she's cooking with them, even today, (chuckles softly) I mean, you know, she just loves to have them in the kitchen.

(upbeat music) - Now, let me show you how we can shape them.

- Shape them, shape!

- Shape, shape, shape.

(Lorenzo laughs) You ready for it?

- [Lorenzo] I'm ready.

- Look how Nonni does, like this, and then you roll it, like that.

Press it in the middle, and let it slide off.

Oh, wow!

What a good job, Loren, (Lorenzo giggles) all right!

What do you remember the most?

- I remember loving to help you cook, and then we would all eat it together, and... - Too big, the gnocchis are getting too big while you're talking.

- Okay.

(laughs) I'm sure if she did it all herself, there wouldn't be anything wrong, but it's not all about that.

It's about creating this meal together that really matters to her.

(upbeat music continues) - [Lidia] Beautiful job.

- [Lorenzo] Yes.

- You're gonna wash up now, and Nonni's gonna go make some sauce, and cook the gnocchis, and we'll have lunch.

(upbeat mandolin music) I'm gonna give them one little stir.

Just, let's fish them out.

Put them right in here.

(upbeat mandolin music continues) Okay, the gnocchis are ready, all of your gnocchis.

Look it, these are beautiful.

Everybody hungry?

- Yeah.

- Oh, yeah.

- Hungry.

- All right.

- The kids are all pretty big now, and they all know how to cook pretty well.

I mean, you know, not Lidia level, but they all know how to cook.

(upbeat mandolin music continues) - And do we like that?

(silverware clatters) Lorenzo likes the tomato, of course.

Can I taste this one, Lorenzo?

- Mm-hmm, good.

- Good.

- I like the tomato one very much.

Mm.

(upbeat mandolin music continues) - Not a lot of talking, that means it's good.

- She's probably the most generous person I've ever met in my entire life.

She'll go out and move the world to just spend 10 minutes with us.

- This is what it's all about, (upbeat mandolin music continues) being with the people you love around a good meal.

- Lidia presented food as a family adventure.

- Can I get a little kissy-poo?

(Lorenzo's lips puckering loudly) - [Geoffrey] Lidia's grandkids were wonderful, because you could see that they were falling in love with food, because Lidia brought that joy.

- Nothing better.

(upbeat mandolin music continues) - The audience on television became part of Lidia's family, as they began to experience and grow with these kids.

(Lidia speaking in foreign language) - You come along, too, yes.

- Ciao, ciao.

- Ciao, ciao.

(Lidia speaks in foreign language) (Tanya speaks in foreign language) (Lidia's lips puckering loudly) - Ciao, ciao.