Tammany Scene: Society holds dinner celebrating Italian heritage
Members of the American Society of Italian Heritage celebrated the Festa di San Giuseppe, or Feast of St. Joseph, during a recent dinner at Benedict’s Plantation in Mandeville. President Frank Simoncioni welcomed the group and led in prayer, and members enjoyed a buffet-style feast including a variety of meatless, Sicilian-style dishes. Many wore r...
New Mexico Legislature Approves Indigenous People's Day Bill
A proposal to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day won final approval Friday in the state Legislature following a lengthy and sometimes emotional debate. The Senate voted 22-15 to approve the bill pushed by Native American activists. Numerous cities nationwide, including Albuquerque, have moved to shift the October holiday's focus f...
Between pizza and gelato, one stretch of Mid-City is the most Italian place in New Orleans
There are two reasons why Venezia Restaurant rarely sells dessert. One is the size of the servings at this Creole-Italian classic. The other reason is its neighbor. Angelo Brocato Ice Cream & Confectionary, the city’s oldest gelato parlor and Italian bakery, is just four doors down the street, or about 80 eager steps away. In the evening, the sidew...
Monumental Journey - World Premier
Wednesday March 27, 2019. 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM CDT. Prytania Theatre, 5339 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA 70115. Join us at the Prytania Theater for the world premier of The Monumental Journey! This documentary shares the journey of Italian artist Franco Alessandrini and the American Italian Cultural Center in creating and gifting a statue of Saint...
The Italians are coming with St. Joseph's Day parades, flowers and lots of pasta
Like the Irish, Italians around the city will toast their heritage with celebrations unfolding over the next several days. Highlights include folk dancing, an enormous communal bowl of pasta and a mobile St. Joseph's Altar rolling through the French Quarter. The events are hosted by the Italian American St. Joseph Society, and they’re free and open...
St. Joseph's Altars are plentiful in the Baton Rouge area
The food and the fig cookies will flow when area Catholic churches and organizations host St. Joseph's Altars over the next few weeks. While St. Joseph's Day is March 19, most altars will be open the weekend before. On Sunday, March 17, a St. Joseph's Altar will be open from noon to 4 p.m. at Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center, 17560 George...
List of local St. Joseph altars for 2019
The following parishes, schools and entities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans will host St. Joseph Altars for the feast of St. Joseph on March 19. The tradition, which is Sicilian and Roman Catholic in origin but is carried on locally by Italian-Americans and people of all nationalities and faiths, includes baking cookies and cakes and preparing f...
Alcuin School Italian Night Draws Record Crowd
Alcuin School’s Italian Night was a huge success drawing a record crowd of more than 500 attendees for a festive evening of family fun in the school’s gym on Jan. 27. The annual gathering was indeed a “bella notte,” hosted by guest chefs and servers from the Alcuin School Parents’ and Dads’ Clubs. The scrumptious feast, catered by Campisi’s Resta...
Houston's vets open exciting Italian restaurant at luxe Dallas center
Dallas' sad Italian-restaurant scene has an exciting newcomer in the works: Il Bracco, an Italian-inspired restaurant from a team with deep experience in the Houston's/Hillstone group, slated to open in the spring. Located at 8416 Preston Center Plaza, in a former bedding store called Iron Bed, Il Bracco will offer a fresh take on classic Italian d...
Challenging what you thought you knew about Sicilian New Orleans
Thursday, March 21, 2019. 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM CDT. American Italian Cultural Center, 537 S. Peters St., New Orleans, LA 70130 In this talk, Dr. Justin Nystrom of Loyola University New Orleans will share some of the bigger surprises that came out of the research for his recent book, Creole Italian. This work documents the important role that Sicilian...
Budget Bites: Two Guys From Italy Serves Up Sweet Pasta Deals
If you’re looking for an Italian spot that’ll knock your socks off without knocking all the dollars out of your pocket, look no further than Two Guys From Italy. The dimly lit gem, located on Dallas’ Webb Chapel Road, has been around since 1979. Although the décor has yet to be updated, luckily the same seems to hold true for their menu prices. Wit...
Based on a true story: Chazz Palminteri's autobiographical 'A Bronx Tale' finds new life as a musical
For three decades, Chazz Palminteri has been reliving his life story, first as a one-man play, later as a film and now as a Broadway musical. “It’s because they’re archetypes, these characters, the father, the son. You don’t have to be from the Bronx, you don’t have to be Italian-American. ‘A Bronx Tale’ was a huge hit in Japan; you know, figure th...