Giada De Laurentiis, a chef, writer, and Food Network host, was at il Buco Vita on Aug. 3 to sign copies of her book "Giada's Italy" and launch a pop-up that will be at the Amagansett store for the month of August.
Next door, the restaurant il Buco al Mare served dishes inspired by Ms. De Laurentiis's recipe for bucatini alla nerano throughout the day.
After seeing this reporter's notebook and amiably poking fun at the handwriting within — how can you read that? — the Food Network chef entered the shop and cafe, where a line of people waited to meet her and baskets displayed boxes of Giadzy pasta, a brand she founded.
For about two hours starting at 4 p.m., Ms. De Laurentiis greeted the guests, chatted with everybody on the line, and even advised someone on the best time of year to visit a specific region of Italy. In an adjoining room, the cafe served a prosecco-based cocktail alongside a fresh focaccia.
Next to Ms. De Laurentiis sat Donna Lennard, the founder and owner of il Buco, who brought the restaurant to Amagansett in 2021 after several New York City restaurant successes.
"This is kind of the launch of her products in our store," Ms. Lennard said, referring to the start of Ms. De Laurentiis's August pop-up. The walls of Ms. Lennard's cafe are lined with paintings by the artist Antonello Radi.
"We've become part of the community," said Natalie Donghia, the shop director for the Amagansett store, about the store's three years in operation. Colorful Italian cookware sat on tabletops next to Ms. Donghia.
As guests exited with signed books and Giadzy pasta in their hands and the line grew shorter, Lindsey Galey, the company's food brand associate, said, "We're excited for everyone to go home and cook with [the pasta]."
One toddler kept walking toward Ms. De Laurentiis as the young girl's parents attempted to make for the door. Ms. De Laurentiis took note of the fact that there were "a lot of kids, which I just love."
"It's nice to be able to talk to people in person," as opposed to online, she said. "Some people drove from Queens for the day, and that's impressive . . . that's dedication." When asked how the event went, Ms. De Laurentiis had one word: "Smashingly."
