Lidia Celebrates America

Bob Woodruff, the acclaimed ABC news anchor injured by an IED in Iraq, talks about his experience.

Willie Sherrer struggled with alcoholism and homelessness before being accepted to Culinary Command, an elite program that trains vets in new careers as cooks; today he owns a barbeque enterprise in New England.

August Dannehl is a retired navy sailor who, after being honorably discharged, trained as a filmmaker. With a passion for cooking, August works to create feasts that celebrate other vets. Here, he and Lidia have created a meal to honor veterans Edith Casas, Mike Dowling and Bryan Anderson.

Bryan Anderson served two tours of duty in Iraq before he lost both legs and his left hand to an IED. In this clip he and Lidia Bastianich cook a shrimp pasta meal together.

Veteran Bryan Anderson explains the army tradition of creating desserts from leftover dessert rations, for their comrades celebrating birthdays. Lidia then shares her dessert, Limoncello Tiramisu with him – a fanciful homage to the MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) birthday cakes created by his platoon.

Yonas Hagos (Yorkville, IL) is a retired army staff sergeant who came to the USA from a refugee camp in Sudan at 10 years-old; he is also a Purple Heart recipient. In this clip Lidia tries Yonas's mother's wonderful cooking.

Marlene Rodriquez served three tours of Iraq before sustaining injuries that forced her to retire; she is one of only 500 women to be awarded the Purple Heart. In this clip she shows Lidia Bastianich her medal, and talks about what it means to her.

In the moving documentary special, 'Holiday for Heroes', internationally-acclaimed chef and food ambassador Lidia Bastianich pays homage to the men and women of our military and the truly life-saving sacrifices they make daily for our freedom.

Born in Ethiopia, Marcus Samuelsson is a Swedish-raised chef and restaurateur. Her, he talks about what signifies Christmas for him, and why. Then he takes his friend Lidia Bastianich to his restaurant, Red Rooster, in Harlem, New York, where they cook up some Swedish meatballs.

Set against a backdrop in which they share a deliciously diverse dinner, Lidia Bastianich's celebrity guests talk about what makes America the land of opportunity, and their dreams of making it in this country. The the meal represents the melting pot of flavors that are all part of celebrating Christmas in New York.

Growing up, cooking was always a part of daily life for Carlo Ponti Jr. His mother, Sophia Loren, was a skilled cook, and the author of several cook books, while Sophia’s mother and sister were also fantastic cooks. Here, Lidia Bastianich and Carlo make pasta together in honor of his mother. Carlo Ponti Jr, is a former actor, now award winning conductor.

American cookbook author, actress, model, television host and executive producer Padma Lakshmi is a food lover and a friend of Lidia Bastianich. She invited Lidia to her birthplace in Chennai, India. In a Chennai marketplace, Padma explains to Lidia why flowers are an important part of Indian culture.