Christina Pirello is an American TV host, author, and chef renowned for her advocacy of whole-food, plant-based eating. In 1983 she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia and, as conventional treatment offered little hope, she adopted a strict macrobiotic (whole foods) diet. Within months she began to recover, and after about fourteen months her cancer went into remission. Pirello’s personal health journey inspired her life’s work: she became the Emmy Award-winning host of the PBS cooking series Christina Cooks!. Her show – which teaches healthy vegan and Mediterranean-inspired recipes – aired for over two decades nationwide and in dozens of countries, reaching audiences on more than 200 public TV stations. Today she continues to write cookbooks and teach cooking with the goal of helping people live healthier, more compassionate lives.
Early Life & Background
Christina was born in the mid-1950s (exact date not public) into a family with deep Italian and Irish roots. She recalls being named just before Christmas, since “I’m half Italian and half Irish” and her Italian grandfather insisted on the name Christina. From childhood she loved cooking; as she says, “my love affair with food began at a young age when I spent many happy hours cooking with my mother” in their Italian kitchen. This early passion for whole, traditional foods later proved vital when she faced a health crisis.
In 1983, at age 26, Pirello’s doctors diagnosed her with an advanced, acute leukemia. They gave her only months to live. Refusing aggressive drugs and radiation, she turned instead to the whole-food nutrition she’d learned at home. Her coworker introduced her to Robert Pirello, a whole-food advocate who eventually became her husband. Under Robert’s guidance and with “death-defying discipline,” she overhauled her diet and lifestyle. Remarkably, after just two months on her new diet doctors observed significant health improvements, and by fourteen months her leukemia had completely disappeared. These years of recovery convinced Pirello “of the close relationship between diet and health,” and set her on a mission to teach others about whole-food nutrition. (Her precise birthdate and age are not published; she was about 26 in 1983, implying a birth year around 1956.)
Career: Christina Cooks! and Other Projects
After recovering her health, Pirello began sharing her knowledge of healthy cooking. In 1997 she launched the public TV cooking series Christina Cooks! – a lively show emphasizing vegan-friendly, Mediterranean-style whole foods. The program became widely popular; it aired weekly on over 200 PBS stations in the U.S. and on Create TV, and was also broadcast internationally (on Discovery Health in 50+ countries). In its first season Pirello even won a regional Emmy Award for her hosting. Episodes often feature her traveling in Italy, teaching in home kitchens, and highlighting sustainable food practices (for example, the series Back to the Cutting Board: The Macroterranean Way focuses on traditional Italian cooking and conscious eating).
Pirello remains the face of Christina Cooks! today. Her on-screen style is enthusiastic and compassionate, always tying each recipe to health lessons. Over more than 20 seasons she has taught recipes like soups, salads, and sauces that use beans, grains, and vegetables as main ingredients – a stark contrast to standard American diets. As one public-TV station notes, she “shares healthy, fresh Italian and Mediterranean recipes” while advocating wellness and disease prevention. In total, the show has aired hundreds of episodes and has built a devoted following of viewers interested in plant-based cooking.
Cookbooks and Publications
Christina Pirello has parlayed her TV fame into a career as a healthy-cooking author. She has written around six to eight cookbooks, focusing on macrobiotic and vegan whole-food recipes. Notable titles include:
- Cooking the Whole Foods Way – her bestselling first cookbook (named “Healthiest Cookbook of the Decade” by medical nutrition experts).
- Christina Cooks – a companion cookbook based on her TV series.
- This Crazy Vegan Life – a memoir-cookbook recounting her cancer recovery through a vegan diet.
- I’m Mad as Hell, and I’m Not Going to Eat it Anymore – a 2010 cookbook with bold whole-food recipes.
She also publishes Macrochef magazine with her husband Robert, and contributes columns to health and vegan publications (such as VegNews, Natural Health, and Vegetarian Times). In 2008 Pirello and her husband founded the Christina Pirello Health Education Initiative, a non-profit that produces cooking-and-nutrition programs for schools and children. Beyond cookbooks, she teaches live whole-food cooking classes and leads “wellness vacations” (e.g. food tours in Italy and Caribbean cruises) that combine travel with plant-based cooking lessons.
TV Shows and Appearances
Pirello’s public profile comes largely from her PBS show Christina Cooks! and its successor projects. (In recent years she launched Christina Cooks: Back to the Cutting Board, which continues the show under a travel-and-sustainability theme.) Beyond her own series, she has been interviewed on podcasts and health TV specials about her life story. She has not competed on reality shows or cooking competitions, but she occasionally appears at public events, cooking demonstrations, and speaker panels on wellness.
Awards and Honors
Christina Cooks! earned her an Emmy Award for outstanding cooking show in its first season. Her cookbook Cooking the Whole Foods Way received accolades from medical researchers. In 2020 she won the Philadelphia Award for Health Food (as noted in a Spark podcast episode). She holds a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and is certified in several holistic fields (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, acupuncture). For two decades she has been listed as a wellness speaker, and she even serves as a chef instructor at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia and on its Board of Trustees.
Personal Life and Details
Christina Pirello is married to Robert Pirello, the whole-foods advocate who helped her overcome cancer. Robert (an Italian-American, which Pirello has noted fits well with her own Italian background) joined her in her culinary ventures; they co-created the Macrochef magazine and the Kids’ Healthy Cooking program. The couple have largely kept their private life out of media, and it’s not publicly known whether they have children. Pirello lives in the Philadelphia area (she teaches at a college there and travels from Philadelphia for TV and speaking engagements). Her exact age is not published, though sources note she was 26 in 1983 (which implies a birth year around 1956). Physical details like height or net worth are not publicly disclosed.
Social Media Presence
Pirello maintains an active online presence. She runs the website ChristinaCooks.com, which hosts her blog articles and recipes. On social media, she uses the handle @ChristinaCooks. Her Instagram account (@christinacooks) features cooking videos, kitchen tips, and personal insights (for example, she describes herself there as a “TV host, author, chef, helping people live compassionate lives”). She also has a YouTube channel and Facebook page where she posts segments and interviews. In early 2026 her Instagram shows regular cooking updates (e.g. New Year’s healthy recipes), demonstrating that she is still engaged with her audience. 1 (Follow her online for the latest recipes and news.)
Public Interest and Search Trends
Interest in Christina Pirello often centers on her health story and cooking philosophy. Many readers search for “Christina Pirello leukemia” or “Christina Pirello diet”, reflecting curiosity about how she beat cancer through nutrition. Others look for “Christina Pirello TV show” or “Christina Pirello books” to find her recipes. In recent years, some social posts have questioned her well-being (for example, unfounded rumors about additional health issues). However, the most reliable information shows that Pirello has remained active – she continues to publish content and has even released new episodes and writings in the late 2010s and 2020s. Her story appeals to people interested in veganism, longevity, and compassionate living, which matches her tagline as a health advocate and TV chef.
FAQ
- Who is Christina Pirello? A celebrity chef and author known for the PBS series Christina Cooks!. She teaches plant-based, macrobiotic cooking and is a wellness speaker.
- How did she survive leukemia? At age 26 (around 1983) she was given months to live with acute leukemia. She changed to a whole-foods, plant-based diet (rich in grains, beans, and vegetables) and eventually went into remission. She credits diet and lifestyle changes (with husband Robert’s support) for curing her cancer.
- Has she won any awards? Yes – she won an Emmy Award for her cooking show Christina Cooks!. Her cookbook Cooking the Whole Foods Way also received national recognition as a top health cookbook.
- How many cookbooks has she written? She has authored about six to eight cookbooks on vegan/whole-food cooking. Notable titles include Cooking the Whole Foods Way, Christina Cooks, This Crazy Vegan Life, and I’m Mad As Hell, and I’m Not Going to Eat it Anymore.
- Is she still active today? Yes. Pirello continues to teach cooking classes, update her website, and appear in media interviews. Her social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube) show recent posts. She is also involved in educational programs and travel cooking tours.
- Is she married? Any children? She is married to Robert Pirello, whom she met through her health journey. There is no public information about any children.
- How old is she? Her exact age or birthdate isn’t publicly listed. Sources note she was 26 in 1983, which suggests she was born around 1956–1957.
- What is Christina Pirello doing now? Beyond her ongoing PBS series, she focuses on writing and teaching. She often travels to conduct workshops and may be working on new book projects. For updates, fans follow her on social media or check her ChristinaCooks.com site.
- Net worth? There is no verifiable public figure for her net worth; she’s mainly known for her health advocacy, not as a high-paid celebrity.
Conclusion
Christina Pirello has built a lifelong mission out of her extraordinary health recovery and passion for cooking. As a pioneering vegan/macrobiotic chef on public television, she has helped thousands learn to make nutritious, compassionate food choices. With multiple cookbooks, a long-running TV series, and an active online presence, Pirello remains engaged in teaching others. Readers interested in healthy eating or plant-based living can follow her work (on PBS, her website, or social media) to find recipes and advice. Her story underscores the idea that food can be powerful medicine, and she encourages everyone to stay tuned for her latest tips on wellness and cooking.