25 Years with Lidia: A Culinary Jubilee

(bright cheerful music) - And then you go selfie-style, and then you can extend this baby out.

- Social media was just kind of starting to blow up in 2014.

It was like, "Let's do it.

Like, let's do Facebook Lives on set.

Let's do Instagram."

And so I bought her a selfie stick and a selfie light and she was so into it.

- I got a new toy.

Yeah, right.

And look how artistic I'm getting.

- 30 some odd people later, she was like, "I got this, let's do this."

And then she's like, recording videos.

She's like, "We're gonna put this on the Gram."

I'm like, "Yes, you call it the Gram, Lidia.

You've got the lingo down."

And it was just so fun to see her get comfortable with it.

I think she's just so willing to go for the ride on anything.

And it's like she has total fun playing.

- Okay, Amy, walk me through this episode.

- Okay, so you're gonna come back, you're gonna show your chickpeas.

Say, you know, "These are cooked down.

They're nice and tender.

Now I'm gonna roll out my dough.

- [Lidia] Okay.

- I have been with Lidia for 22 years.

I started working on her show when my daughter was about to turn one, and my daughter's now about to turn 23.

So you're gonna cut this, unwrap this, cut it into pieces.

You're gonna flour, you're gonna roll.

Lidia has like a lot of chutzpah, you know?

And she's just fun and it's contagious.

- Everyone smile!

(everyone chattering) - Her work ethic, her love for what she's doing, made us want to participate, so that we can at the end of the day, say, "Hey, we helped to make this a great product or a great experience too."

- You can't help but wanna be there for her and show up for her and give her your all, because she gives her all.

- [Crew Member] It's smoking.

- I wanted to show you this real, like, this question.

- Beautiful beauty shot.

- We like to play jokes with each other.

She was nominated for an Emmy and we recorded it 'cause it was this cute thing that we did to reveal it to her with an Ask Lidia.

We're like, "Oh," like, "Lidia, we have an Ask Lidia for you.

Like, "What do you think of this one?"

- Did you know you just received an Emmy nomination for outstanding culinary host?

Congratulations.

(crew cheering and clapping) Thank you guys.

Shelly, come over here.

Come, come.

You too.

Everybody come.

- Yay, we got the nomination.

I think the first thing she said, she was like, "It's for everybody."

Like, she just gives it back.

- You guys all will be included.

(crew laughing and clapping) - She really does consider every single person a pivotal part of her family, a part of her show, a part of her magic.

- Oh my God, the lasagna's crying.

(crew laughing) It's so excited, it's crying.