As evening falls outside Café Astoria in St. Paul, a dozen or so tables are set with linens and vintage Chinaware underneath dimmed lighting. Three nights a week, the locally-owned coffee shop and crêperie moonlights as an intimate, full-service Italian restaurant. For Chef John Occhiato, who owns Café Astoria alongside his life-and-business partne...
An Iowa State chemistry professor who grew up in Italy has turned a family recipe for limoncello into an award-winning business. Sara Pistolesi is co-founder of IA-Native Spirits, which produces Lemoncello 50010 based on her grandmother Maria Pia Murzi’s recipe. That recipe was passed down to her mom, Tiziana Bernotti, and then to Sara herself. “I...
Luxury Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta has landed in Aspen with the Dec. 8 opening of its boutique at 428 E. Hyman Ave. The design of the store embraces Aspen’s Rocky Mountain surroundings with ceiling beams in Aspen wood veneer, a neutral color scheme of white, cream, grey, and beige, Aspen tree-inspired clothing racks, and soft seating areas...
The Cathedral of St. Paul recently discovered some of the treasured history behind its artwork. It starts with a teenage sculptor from Italy who traveled to the capital city in the early 1900s. His grandsons are now sharing untold stories about an artist remembered as the cathedral's Michelangelo. The Capecchi cousins — Jerry and brothers Mark and...
Not often will the church organist play “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” But it was fitting Saturday, when a light snow fell as the baseball community said goodbye to its friend John Stella. The 88-year-old died Dec. 1 of complications from leukemia. Known for his devotion to the sport at Omaha South and the American Legion, Stella's funeral at St. F...
Denver city officials said Monday they would not put back up a statue of Christopher Columbus that was torn down by protesters in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The fate of the monument – and another of frontiersman Kit Carson that the city pro-actively removed after the Columbus monument was toppled – had been in limbo for years. “The...
If there was a mayor of South Omaha, John Stella was it. The friendly guy with the bushy mustache who seemingly knew everyone died Friday of complications from leukemia. He was 88. Stella’s long life revolved around the sport of baseball, a love affair that lasted almost nine decades. He was most devoted to the sport through the American Legion, a...
Cedar Rapids Italian restaurant, Via Sofia's, announced Wednesday that it will be hosting a food drive this holiday season. The community can drop off non-perishable food items like canned goods, pasta, rice, and cereal to one of Via Sofia's two locations at 1125 1st Ave SE or 5411 Center Point Road NE. All donations received from December 6 to De...
The St Louis - Bologna Sister Cities proudly invites you to its 5th Annual Italian Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 9, 2023 at 7:30 PM. The concert will be held at Webster University's Community Music School Concert Hall in Webster Groves. The address is of the venue is: 535 Garden Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63119Listen to the magnificent re...
Sarpino’s USA (Sarpino’s), a fast-growing pizza and Italian food delivery franchise, announced today its official expansion into Colorado with the opening of its newest location in Westminster. Marking the brand’s first location in the state, the Denver-area restaurant kicks off a string of expansion led by franchisees Samar Sawaged and Sid Demirov...
All eyes are on Madrina, set to open in the coming weeks inside the former home of CJ Mugg's in Webster Groves (MO). But the details of how the restaurant came together are harder to discern – what’s unfolding at the corner of W. Lockwood and N. Gore Avenues has been built from relationships, trust and respect formed over time. The process created...
"The biggest change is leaving fine dining — which was a little bit of a shock at first, but it's become the best part of the whole project," says chef Jeff Schwing, who was born and raised in the metro area and has spent much of his culinary career working in high-end French restaurants, including Brasserie Brixton and, most recently, celebrity ch...