Giada De Laurentiis Is Leaving the U.S. for Thanksgiving: ‘It's Going to Be Very Inspirational’ (Exclusive)

The celebrity chef and cookbook author tells PEOPLE she's planning to spend the holiday in Japan this year — with encouragement from her 16-year-old daughter, Jade

Giada De Laurentiis will be fulfilling a longtime travel goal this Turkey Day.

"I just decided yesterday that I am going to go nuts and go to Japan, which I've always wanted to for Thanksgiving,” the celebrity chef, 54, told PEOPLE in October when discussing her upcoming cookbook, Super-Italian.

“My family's like, 'What? You can't leave,' because I'm usually the cook at Thanksgiving, so I think they're freaking out a little bit,” she said. “But I am so excited.”

The Food Network alum’s 16-year-old daughter, Jade, was on board with the plan, she added.

“I've been talking about it for five years,” De Laurentiis explained. “I think Jade's like, 'Let's just do it so I can stop hearing about it.' Anyway, yes, we're going to go to Tokyo and Kyoto and do a little excursion in Japan.” 

“I'm so thrilled,” she said. “I think it's going to be very inspirational for me."

Related: Martha Stewart Is Leaving the U.S. for Thanksgiving with Her Grandkids: ‘We Have Such an Itinerary’ (Exclusive)

The culinary star also opened up about her dynamic with her daughter, revealing that she doesn’t consider her only child a “mini me.”

While Jade sings with her band and performs in musicals and plays, her proud mom said a talent for singing isn’t a trait she passed down.

“It's crazy because neither her father or I sing,” the chef told PEOPLE of her ex-husband Todd Thompson. “Nobody in my family sings. I mean, we all love music, but not like that. Maybe in the shower. I'm always speechless when it comes to Jade and her music, because she's able to write music.”

Related: Why Giada De Laurentiis Insists Her Daughter Jade, 16, 'Really Isn't' Her 'Mini Me' (Exclusive)

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Jade taught herself to play the keyboard during the pandemic, and is learning to play the guitar on her own, De Laurentiis said.

“I don't have that gift, so I am just in such awe of her willingness and her openness at teaching herself these instruments that to me are just beyond,” she said. “I don't play the piano. I don't play any instrument. It's really sad. It wasn't something my parents highlighted, and I just never went for it.”

De Laurentiis said she’s “truly impressed” with Jade’s talent, and is looking forward to seeing what path the high school junior will pursue when she graduates.

She added, “I'm really, really fascinated to watch her because she is nothing like me. I know everybody says, 'She's like a mini you,' but she really isn't.”

Super Italian: More Than 110 Indulgent Recipes Using Italy's Healthiest Foods will be released on March 4, 2025, and is available for preorder now.