Most people who follow food television know Lidia Bastianich as a celebrated chef and cookbook author. Many also know her son Joe Bastianich as a restaurateur, winemaker, and television personality. But fewer know the man who was central to the early chapter of that family story — Felice Bastianich.
This article covers what is publicly known about Felice: his origins, his marriage to Lidia, the restaurants they built together in New York, his children, the end of his marriage, and his death in 2010.
Who Was Felice Bastianich?
Felice Bastianich — also referred to as Felix in some records — was a restaurant professional and immigrant from Istria, a peninsula in the northern Adriatic region. He was born in 1940. Depending on the historical period and source, his birthplace is associated with Croatia, Italy, or the former Yugoslavia. That variation reflects the complex political history of Istria during the 20th century rather than any contradiction about who he was.
Felice was not a television personality or a public-facing celebrity chef. He worked primarily behind the scenes as a business partner in the family’s restaurant operations. His most visible public identity today comes from his connection to Lidia Bastianich and from being the father of Joe Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali.
Readers who encounter the names “Felice” and “Felix” used interchangeably online are likely looking at the same person. The variation is simply a matter of naming usage — Felix being the anglicized form of the Italian name Felice.
His Marriage to Lidia and Their Shared Istrian Roots
Felice and Lidia married in 1966. Both came from the Istrian immigrant community in the United States, and that shared background — language, culture, and the experience of displacement — formed a strong foundation for both their personal relationship and their professional partnership.
Istrian Italians were largely forced to leave the region after World War II as political control shifted. Many resettled in other parts of Italy or emigrated further, including to the United States. Felice and Lidia were part of that diaspora, and they found each other within that community while both were working in the restaurant industry.
Together, they had two children. Joe Bastianich was born in 1968, and Tanya Bastianich Manuali was born in 1972. Both children grew up working around the family’s restaurants and later built their own careers closely connected to food, hospitality, and media.
The Queens Restaurants That Started It All
Before the Bastianich name became associated with Manhattan dining, Felice and Lidia were building their restaurant experience in Queens, New York. They opened a restaurant called Buonavia, followed by Tutta Bella. These were working neighborhood restaurants — not high-profile establishments — but they were important stepping stones.
Running those restaurants gave the couple hands-on experience in every part of the business: the kitchen, the dining room, the finances, and the daily grind of keeping a restaurant running. It also meant that Joe and Tanya grew up inside that world from an early age. By the time they were old enough to work, the restaurant industry was already part of their daily life.
It is worth being clear that both Felice and Lidia built those early restaurants together. The credit belongs to both of them, not to either one alone. Those Queens years laid the groundwork — financially and operationally — for what came next.
Felidia and What the Name Actually Means
In 1981, Felice and Lidia opened Felidia in Manhattan. The restaurant would go on to become one of the most recognized Italian restaurants in New York. But the name itself tells a story that many people overlook.
Felidia is widely described as a combination of the two names: Felice and Lidia. Put the first part of his name together with the second part of hers, and you get Felidia. It is a straightforward but meaningful detail — at the time they opened the restaurant, their personal and professional lives were fully intertwined, and the name reflected that.
Felidia quickly built a strong reputation for regional Italian cooking, and it became a foundation for the family’s broader presence in the New York restaurant world. It is worth noting, though, that much of Felidia’s later fame grew through Lidia’s television work and cookbook publishing — both of which came after Felice’s involvement in the business had ended.
The Divorce and Transfer of Business Interests
Felice and Lidia divorced in the late 1990s. Sources report slightly different years — some say 1997, others say 1998 — so pinning down the exact date with certainty is not possible based on available public records. What is consistent across sources is that the divorce happened during that period.
Following the divorce, Felice transferred his interests in the family business to his children, Joe and Tanya. That transition allowed Joe and Tanya to step into more formal roles within the business alongside their mother. Joe went on to become a major figure in the restaurant world in his own right — partnering with Lidia and Mario Batali on several ventures, producing wine, writing books, and appearing as a judge on television cooking competitions. Tanya built a parallel career supporting Lidia’s culinary and media work.
Felice stepped away from the public-facing side of the business. His later years were not documented extensively in the public record, and little reliable information is available about that period of his life.
Felice Bastianich’s Death in 2010
Felice Bastianich died in December 2010. Reports at the time attributed his death to complications related to diabetes. He was around 70 years old.
His death did not generate the kind of large-scale media coverage that follows the passing of a public celebrity, which is consistent with how he lived — largely outside the spotlight, even as the family name became well known.
His Legacy Within the Bastianich Family Story
Felice Bastianich’s legacy is not the kind that comes with a television credit or a cookbook dedication. It is quieter than that. He was one of the two people who started something — a restaurant family built on immigrant roots, hard work, and a shared love of Italian food and culture.
The name Felidia still carries his name inside it, even today. The Queens restaurants he and Lidia ran together gave Joe and Tanya their first understanding of how the business worked. And the early financial and professional foundation he helped build made it possible for the family to reach the larger stage they eventually occupied.
For anyone researching the Bastianich family story — whether through food media, business history, or Italian-American culture — Felice is a part of the picture that deserves to be understood clearly and accurately. Resources like Alpha Business Daily offer useful context for understanding how family-run businesses are built and passed down across generations.
A Simple Timeline of Felice Bastianich’s Life
- 1940: Felice is born in Istria.
- 1966: Felice and Lidia marry.
- 1968: Their son Joe is born.
- 1972: Their daughter Tanya is born.
- 1981: Felidia opens in Manhattan.
- Late 1990s: Felice and Lidia divorce; Felice transfers business interests to Joe and Tanya.
- December 2010: Felice dies from reported diabetes-related complications.
Final Thoughts
Felice Bastianich was not a celebrity in the conventional sense. He did not appear on television, and he did not write cookbooks. But he was a real and important part of how the Bastianich story began — as an immigrant, a husband, a father, and a restaurant owner who helped build something that has lasted well beyond his own lifetime.
Understanding who he was gives the wider Bastianich story a fuller shape. Behind the famous restaurants and the recognizable faces, there was a man from Istria who came to New York, built something with his family, and left his name — quite literally — on one of the city’s most enduring Italian restaurants.
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