By Jade Scipioni

She's a world renowned chef, but her path to the top wasn't always an easy one. Lidia Bastianich, Italian chef, author and restaurateur, thought her career was over in the early '80s when her first restaurant, Felidia, almost never opened. "We invested it all—our whole lives into the restaurant. And we almost didn't open," Bastianich told FOXBusiness.com. Thirty-five years later Felidia is still thriving in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. 

In that time, Bastianich has also managed to turn herself into a household name and an international brand through her cookbooks, television shows, and multiple well-regarded restaurants around the country. She says she owes her success to being a "normal chef" who started cooking regional Italian food—the stuff real Italians ate.

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Source: http://www.foxbusiness.com/