NEWS FROM : GREAT LAKES  

An excellent meal at an Italian restaurant is one of the best dining experiences you can have. And who isn't in the mood for Italian all the time? I know I am. There are TONS of great Italian restaurants in Illinois. We surveyed ten of the best across the whole state.   1. Enoteca Roma Ristorante - In Chicago, Enoteca Roma gives you a taste...

by Leonard F. Amari   This month, we highlight the distinguished career of Frank A. Pasquale, mayor of Bellwood. The three-term mayor was elected in 2001, after serving as a Memorial Park District Commissioner for 20 years and as a village trustee for six. When Frank ran for re-election in April, he let it be known it was because many o...

By Lincoln Wright   On the walls of Sam's Italian Kitchen are black and white photos. Photos of family, of owner Sam Macri and his wife, Tammy — and displayed prominently in the center of the restaurant — a photo of Sam making a pizza in his younger days at the Volcano Restaurant when it was located in downtown South Bend.   For 55 ye...

A filmmaker archive at the University of Michigan Library is gaining an important female voice. Nancy Savoca, the director of independent movie standouts like 1989's "True Love," will be giving her personal papers to the Screen Arts Mavericks & Makers collection, U-M announced Thursday afternoon.    She is the first woman to be...

by Sandra Tornberg   On April 2, the Wayne State University Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures held an Awards Day to recognize students who excel in their study of Italian.   Professor Raffaele DeBenedictis and Professor Don Spinelli, Department Chair, welcomed the students and their proud parents,...

Burgundies from producers including Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Leflaive and Armand Rousseau are set to lead a Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. auction in Chicago after Italian wines featured in a Zachys New York sale.   Twelve bottles of Romanee-Conti 2009 wines from Burgundy's Cote de Nuits region carry a presale estimate of as much as $1...

The finest food and wines in the world are paired with the vibrant city of Chicago at the International Food & Wine Expo, an event dedicated to promoting upscale culinary culture in the U.S.   Although this international expo debuts this year, it was preceded by two successful events in 2011 and 2012 that were dedicated exclusively to It...

By Guy D'Astolfo   When it comes to the Greater Youngstown Italian Fest, the motto might be "Don't mess with success." The annual street festival already is the biggest by far in the city, and it keeps growing. But instead of striving for newer and glitzier every year, it aims to keep things exactly the same. That's how you create...

If you didn't have an Italian grandmother to teach you how to make classic lasagna, this is the class for you! Our instructor will walk you through all the steps of creating old-world style lasagna completely from scratch. You'll enjoy working alongside classmates learning how to make and shape homemade pasta dough.   We'll share secrets for...

Ann Arbor's latest upscale casual restaurant is open for business. Bravo Cucina Italiana, a national chain that features an expansive menu of Italian-American favorites, opened its fifth location in Michigan on Thursday.   Comfort and variety are the keys to this Roman villa-themed venture. The atmosphere is cheerful, with brick archways and...

One night in the television studios where a popular television series is produced, the cleaning crew, all immigrants, discover that the armoured door of the room where the camera is kept is open.   One of them, Dilip, decides to "borrow" the camera and film his friend's wedding. Soon the fun escalates and one by one, each of the crew takes t...

By John Harper The oldest remaining private Italian club in Akron is celebrating its 90th anniversary on Saturday, no small feat after 11 of its peers shut their doors. On Cuyahoga Falls Avenue in North Hill, near the border of suburban Cuyahoga Falls, the unfussy brick building clings tenderly to Akron's past. Steel letters spelling Carovill...