Premieres Monday, July 14, 2025 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app
Marcella Hazan’s story symbolizes the American dream: after arriving in New York City having never cooked and living with a disability affecting her right arm after an accident in childhood, Hazan went on to inspire millions of home cooks with the glories of Italian cuisine with her bestselling cookbook "The Classic Italian Cook Book: The Art of Italian Cooking and the Italian Art of Eating."
In addition to her cookbooks, Hazan connected with food lovers through her popular cooking classes, her friendship with fellow cooking legend Julia Child, and many on-air cooking demonstrations.
Featuring archival footage and stills, interviews and cooking demonstrations from featured chefs, "Marcella" follows Hazan’s life, starting with her early years in Italy as a scientist to her marriage to Victor Hazan in 1956 before immigrating to New York a few months later.
The film, which was recently recognized with the James Beard Award for Best Documentary, features interviews with Jacques Pépin, Danny Meyer, Lidia Bastianich, Shola Olunloyo, Steve Sando, April Bloomfield, Hazan’s widower and writing partner Victor Hazan and their son Giuliano Hazan.
Upon arriving in America, Hazan – who had earned two doctorates in science – did not have a culinary background and rarely cooked at home. Her love of cooking traditional Italian dishes ignited soon after settling into her new American home, which allowed her to stay connected to her Italian roots and find familiar comfort while building a life with her husband in Queens.
While she first used cookbooks from Italy as reference, she began developing her own recipes, which caught the attention of New York Times food editor Craig Claiborne. Shortly after he asked Hazan to contribute recipes to the newspaper’s food section, she gained notability as an Italian cooking expert.
Hazan’s subsequent debut release, "The Classic Italian Cook Book," became a best-seller and would be inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame.
Following this success, Hazan released several more cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning "Marcella Cucina" in1997, and "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" in 1992, which remains a perennial bestseller.
Over her lifetime, Hazan inspired Italian food lovers and home cooks across the nation for decades and her recipes are still revered today, from her iconic three-ingredient tomato sauce to her classic lemon chicken. Her unyielding passion for Italian cuisine and helpful cooking techniques continue to live on through Victor and Giuliano.
Watch On Your Schedule: AMERICAN MASTERS "Marcella" will be available to stream with the PBS app. Watch the best of PBS anytime, anywhere on the free PBS app. Stream your favorite PBS shows on-demand and livestream shows from your local station, all from your favorite device.
The premiere of "Marcella" marks the 300th episode of AMERICAN MASTERS!
