(Featured image provided courtesy of NCC) Tim Fallon, Mike Molewski and David A. Ruth reveal the celebrity chef for this year’s F&W Gala.

BETHLEHEM, PA – Lidia Bastianich, the Emmy award-winning public television host, best‐selling cookbook author and successful restaurateur is coming to the Lehigh Valley on June 2 to headline the Northampton Community College (NCC) Food & Wine Gala. The event is the college’s largest fundraising event and supports scholarships for students who are most in need.

Bastianich helped share plans for this year’s Food & Wine Gala, joining the announcement at the college’s Hampton Winds student-run restaurant from her New York City area home LIVE via web stream. “I am so excited to be coming back to the Lehigh Valley,” said Bastianich, who has made many trips to the area over the years. “I’m looking forward to being part of this special event that helps provide scholarships to students in the region,” she said.

Home cooks and aspiring chefs world-wide have turned to Bastianich seeking her culinary counsel for decades. Her popularity has been fed through her television shows, cookbook titles, trendy restaurants and now her own line of Lidia’s Kitchen home cookware. She has become a beloved Italian American icon inspiring all who will listen with her trademark “Tutti a tavola a Mangiare” or “Everyone to the table to eat.”

The Food & Wine Gala is an offshoot of the Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival that had been the area’s most celebrated cuisine and beverage festival. During the pandemic, the festival was forced into hiatus, with special sponsor dinners being held the last two years. However, this year, the event has been re-imagined as the Northampton Community College Food & Wine Gala that will be held at the Wind Creek Resort in Bethlehem, Pa.

An extravagant four-course dinner will be a feature of the event, prepared under the direction of Bastianich, who is known worldwide for her authentic Italian cuisine. Gala guests will have the opportunity to meet Bastianich at a pre-dinner reception and later, hear her account of how she left war torn Italy to come to America and eventually become one of the most endeared celebrity chefs in the world.

The gala will also include an auction featuring opportunities to bid on vintage collectable wines and amazing experiences, including dinner at one of Bastianich’s famous restaurants in New York City.

All proceeds from the gala directly provide for student scholarships. To date, the event has raised over $2 million for scholarships and academic programs. At the Hampton Winds event, NCC President David A. Ruth, Ph.D., thanked the sponsors, donors, and community members for their continued support. “We are especially grateful for Lidia’s time and help. We are thrilled she will be bringing her culinary expertise and Italian flair to our gala event June 2.”

Mike Molewski, Food & Wine Committee Chair said, “I am proud to say that we are still able to keep the event alive and continue to help NCC students.”

Fundraising events like the gala are near to Bastianich’s heart. She wants to help others achieve their full potential and open doors to opportunities like so many have done for her. From living under a communist regime, to coming to America and living her dream, she has gratitude for all that has helped her get to where she is today.

“The kindness and help my family and I received when we arrived in America was incredible. Strangers and non-profit organizations were willing to give us a home, fill our cupboards with food, and find my parents a job,” Bastianich said.

PBS39 is among the sponsors for the NCC Food & Wine Gala, which airs Lidia’s hit cooking show, Lidia’s Kitchen, locally. The organization will be hosting Lidia for a special donor meet-and-greet at their studio on June 2nd. “We are pleased to be working with NCC on this partnership and are thrilled to once again work with Lidia, who is beloved by our viewers for bringing her delicious meals to tables across the Lehigh Valley,” said Tim Fallon, CEO of Lehigh Valley Public Media.

About Northampton Community College

With an enduring commitment to the regional community it serves and a focus on student success, Northampton Community College has developed a reputation as an institution of extraordinary distinction, earning accolades at the state and national levels for innovative programs, outstanding faculty and impressive student achievements. It counts among its successful alumni a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner and an Academy Award winning director as well as a host of CEOs, presidents, and leaders of business and industry. Today, Northampton Community College has locations in Bethlehem, Southside Bethlehem, and Monroe County, serving 30,000 students each year from 53 counties, 42 countries and 25 states. For more information, or to apply, please visit www.northampton.edu. Follow NCC’s President on Twitter @NCCPresDaveRuth, and follow the College on TikTok @NorthamptonCC and on Instagram @NorthamptonCommCollege. Like us on Facebook at Northampton Community