‘Call it the broken table’: Big Belly’s Italian-American Kitchen offers meal, warm rest stop for those in need
A hot meal and warm place to rest are that much more important as Kansas City, Missouri, continues in the single digits. People like Shera McClelland see the worst of it. “I work at a hospital, and me and my son were talking — there’s literally people freezing to death,” McClelland said. McClelland and her son were talking about it on the way to Bi...
Gold, marble and pasta: Check out Kansas City’s new Italian Renaissance restaurant
Diners twirl their gold forks around strands of pasta, sipping boozy Negronis under candlelight in Florence, Italy. Or — almost Florence. The embossed plaques, ornamented ceilings and marble tables paint the illusion that the small crowd is lounging in a high-end European restaurant. But past heavy curtains, cars zip down 18th Street in Kansas City...
Porchetta House Takes the Italian Pork Sandwich for a Global Spin
Porchetta might translate from Italian to “little pig,” but the traditional dish—skin-on pork belly wrapped around a boneless loin and slow-roasted for hours—requires big effort. “You cook it on a spit, and then [to get the skin crispy], you ladle super-hot oil over it,” says AJ Paloni, chef-owner of the 10-month-old Porchetta House, a lunch-to-lat...
Panino’s: A dream come true for customers and owners
When it comes to a classic in Colorado Springs, grandma’s secret dough recipe has left its mark on a whole lot of people. At P74: The Downtown Panino’s there is family tradition both in the menu and in the owners. Christina Frasca took over the business from her father Mike Frasca in 2017. By her side is her husband Bobby Lashwood who learned the s...
Craving Italian food in St. Paul? Café Astoria debuts after-hours menu
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...
Award-winning limoncello company in Ames thrives with Italian family recipe
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...
Via Sofia's hosting winter food drive
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...
Sarpino’s Opens First Colorado-Based Location
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...
The making of Madrina: How Stanley Browne and Frank Romano built their dream team
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...
Provolino Aims to Bring Crowd-Pleasing Italian to Southeast Denver
"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...
Vernetti's! New Italian Grocer At The Lake Is Booming
An authentic Italian grocer right here at Lake of the Ozarks? Che buono! The family-owned Vernetti’s Italian Grocer is now open in Camdenton and offers a variety of staples to fill the pantry, fridge, or a hungry belly. Located in downtown Camdenton, the unique deli and grocery store brings St. Louis Hill flavor to the Lake. Owners Jeff and Kelly V...
Matters of Taste: Teatro Italian Food & Wine celebrates one year of style and synergy
Synergy—the idea that the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts—was pondered by Aristotle, but for some ambitious restaurateurs, the method has been forged as hospitality. More specifically, wait staff, called “hospitalians” by Bobby Stuckey of Frasca Food and Wine, act as vital, interventionists conveying more than Italian food and wine. As th...