New cooking series celebrating approachable recipes, Italian-American traditions, family, friends and the joy of gathering around the table
There is something unmistakably Italian about gathering around a table. It is where food becomes conversation, recipes become memories, and friends and family linger long after the last dish has been served.
For Italian-born cook, author and beloved culinary personality Laura Vitale, that philosophy has always been at the heart of her cooking. Now, she is bringing it to a new series, Pass the Plate, premiering September 29, 2026, at 4 p.m. ET on Amazon Live’s FAST Channel, as well as some of your favorite streaming services.
The new series promises something refreshingly familiar: approachable home cooking, family, friends, laughter and the simple pleasure of sharing a meal.
From Naples to Millions of Kitchens
Laura’s story has long resonated with those who appreciate the emotional connection between Italian food and family.
Born in Italy and raised in Naples before moving to the United States as a young girl, Laura developed her passion for cooking through her family, particularly time spent in her grandmother’s kitchen. After arriving in America, she continued that culinary education while working in her father’s restaurants.
Her path to culinary fame, however, was anything but conventional.
Laura and her husband, Joe, launched the online cooking series Laura in the Kitchen from a homemade studio kitchen. Her approachable personality and ability to make delicious food feel achievable quickly attracted an enormous audience. That digital success eventually led to television opportunities, cookbooks and appearances across the food-media world.
Personally, I’ve known Laura for several years and her warm personality couldn’t be any more genuine and authentic. She even has volunteered her time supporting The Ashley Lauren Foundation at their annual Chefs Who Care event to help children with pediatric cancer and their families.
Today, her YouTube audience numbers are nearly four million subscribers, according to the announcement of her new series.
Through it all, Laura has remained remarkably consistent in her culinary philosophy: good food doesn’t need to be intimidating. It should be easily cooked, shared and enjoyed.
Welcome to Pass the Plate
With Pass the Plate, Laura appears to be returning to the kind of cooking television many viewers remember fondly — shows centered not on competition or viral food trends, but on the pleasure of being in the kitchen.
The series is filmed in Laura’s own home and welcomes her real friends and family into the experience. Each episode will feature approachable recipes, cooking advice and plenty of the warmth and humor longtime followers have come to associate with her.
At the end, everyone gathers around the table.
They eat.
They laugh.
And, naturally, they pass the plate.
It is a beautifully simple concept, and one that feels particularly appropriate for a cook whose career has been built around making viewers feel as though they are standing beside her in the kitchen.
Food as a Way of Bringing People Together
The idea behind the series reaches far beyond recipes.
Laura has spoken throughout her career about food as a way to create connections. Her previous television work similarly brought friends and relatives into the kitchen and emphasized the idea of cooking as conversation rather than performance.
That philosophy is especially evident in Pass the Plate.
The show will include seasonal entertaining and recipes suited to the way people actually cook and gather. Episodes are expected to cover occasions ranging from football nights to Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
The premiere provides a particularly inviting introduction.
Laura and her father will create an al fresco pizza night, firing up wood-fired pizzas along with crispy zucchini fritters and a build-your-own gelato bar.
It is difficult to imagine a more fitting introduction to the series: pizza, family, outdoor dining and gelato.
In other words, plenty of enjoying life… and a meal, Italian Style!
A Cooking Show You Can Interact With
Pass the Plate also adds a decidedly modern element to the traditional cooking-show format.
Because the series is part of Amazon Live, viewers will be able to participate through live chat, asking questions, sharing comments and interacting during episodes. Products used by Laura will also be available to shop while viewers watch. It’s an interesting combination of old and new.
The atmosphere recalls the comforting cooking programs many of us grew up watching, while the interactive component turns the traditionally one-way television experience into something closer to a digital gathering around the kitchen counter.
That seems especially appropriate for Laura, whose career began online rather than inside a traditional television studio.
The Italian Table at the Center of It All
Perhaps what makes Laura Vitale such a natural fit for Pass the Plate is that the show’s philosophy feels inherently Italian.
In Italy, the table has always represented more than a place to eat. It is where generations come together. Where recipes are handed down. Where stories are repeated for the hundredth time. Where another chair can almost always be found for an unexpected guest.
Laura’s own cooking reflects that tradition.
Her 2024 cookbook, At My Italian Table: Family Recipes from My Cucina to Yours, celebrated the recipes and traditions connecting her American kitchen to her Italian roots, including dishes inspired by her grandmother and extended family.
Pass the Plate feels like a natural continuation of that story.
Instead of simply teaching viewers how to prepare a dish, Laura is inviting them to understand what happens after the cooking is finished — when everyone sits down together.
And perhaps that is the most Italian lesson of all.
How to Watch Pass the Plate
Pass the Plate premieres Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 4 p.m. ET, with weekly episodes scheduled through December 1.
The series will air on the Amazon Live Channel and can be viewed through Prime Video, Fire TV Channels, Samsung TV Plus and Amazon Live TV on Twitch.
For longtime fans of Laura in the Kitchen, the new show offers another opportunity to cook alongside Vitale. For newcomers, it may provide the perfect introduction to the warmth, humor and uncomplicated approach to food that helped build her audience.
But ultimately, Pass the Plate seems to be about something even simpler.
Cook something delicious.
Invite people you love to the table.
Pour the wine.
Stay awhile.
And when someone asks for another helping, pass the plate.
PLUS: Be sure to also follow Laura on her Amazon Live Channel