"It starts with an idea, a concept" is how celebrated chef and Emmy winner Lidia Bastianich describes what launched her into the food business some four decades ago.

That idea began with a single restaurant in Queens, N.Y., in 1971. Today, Bastianich oversees her own Italian food line, Lidia's, in partnership with daughter Tanya Bastianich Manuali, and is a best-selling author and partner in many other restaurant ventures. Some of those include the popular Italian-centric food hall Eataly, which whom she collaborates with her son Joe Bastianich, chef Mario Batali and Italian businessman Oscar Farinetti.