The Queens Bakery Where Lidia Bastianich Formed A Lifelong Friendship With One Of Hollywood's Most Famous Actors

With decades of experience and countless TV appearances under her belt, Lidia Bastianich is very much a star in her own right. But long before she was gracing our screens with her best tips for Italian cuisine, she actually worked for the family of one of Hollywood's most famous faces: Christopher Walken.

Bastianich moved to Astoria in Queens, New York, as a child after her family was forced to flee from their Italian home during World War II. Having developed a deep passion for baking and cooking, the young Bastianich eventually got a part-time job at Walken's Bakery, a local business operated by the parents of none other than Christopher Walken. The bakery was located right across the street from Bastianich's home, and the families actually had something in common. Paul Walken, Christopher's father, was also an immigrant, having moved to the U.S. from Germany, In an interview with GBH News, Bastianich says, "He was a great baker. Walken's Bakery was really popular." She started working in the bakery as a teenager, covering weekend shifts with Walken's three sons — one of them being the legendary actor we know today.

Paul Walken opened Walken's Bakery with his wife Rosalie in 1931. The bakery was a huge success, with a team of pastry chefs who started in the back at 3 a.m. every day. There were also a half a dozen women, including Bastianich, who would keep everything running at the front of the shop.

Bastianich would sell cakes and make boxes, while Christopher Walken and his brothers would do deliveries. Walken was also often tasked with filling jelly donuts as a child, and there's even evidence of him making a pie crust or two. The bakery really was a family affair — so much so that Bastianich's mother also worked at the register for a spell.

Walken's Bakery stayed open for over five decades, but eventually the younger generation turned to other careers, like acting, and the business was sold in the 1980s. The building is now occupied by a hardware store, but the legacy of the Walken family lives on, not only through Christopher Walken's success, but also through the business owners who were inspired to open their own eateries in the area and the fond memories of locals. And of course there's Bastianich, who continues to impress fans with all of the skills and cooking tips she first started honing at Walken's Bakery.