Artistic and Multimedia Contests Announced
The Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa will present the 4th Annual Italian American Heritage Festival on July 26th and 27th, 2013 in the Western Gateway Park in downtown Des Moines, IA. The Festival will once again be awarding $3,000 in Artistic Scholarships to talented young artists or photographers of Italian descent residing in Iowa who w...
Italian artist shares her icon works with Wichitans
Maria Grazia, an icon artist from Rome, was in Wichita on Sunday for an exhibition of some of her artwork and those of her students. The one-day exhibition was at Jennie Becker Studio at 1719 N. Rock Road. The traditional paintings depict Jesus Christ, Mary and other holy figures. Grazia, who has worked with monks in Florence and...
Get ready to celebrate the kick off of the 7th Annual Italian Film Festival (IFF) in style!
The IFF Opening Night party promises to be a memorable evening filled with great food, fantastic cocktails and wine, music and raucous live auction hosted by WCCO news anchorman Frank Vascellaro. Ask anyone who attended last year's lively IFF opening night: It's a not-to-be-missed event. Don't wait until the last minute--tickets are going...
Italian restaurant 'Monello' will replace Porter & Frye
The new restaurant going into the space formerly known as Porter & Frye will be called Monello. Jester Concepts will open the new restaurant at Minneapolis' Hotel Ivy this summer, according to the restaurant's website, which went live Wednesday. Monello is Italian for "sea urchin," according to a post by food critic Dara Moskowitz...
D’Amico to open new restaurants at 2 popular Twin Cities museums
Visitors to two popular Twin Cities museums will be able to grab a bite of Italian after enjoying a slice of history in the near future. The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) announced Wednesday it has struck a deal with D'Amico Catering, which will be the "official caterer" of the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul and Mill City Museum in...
Elise Wiggins Will Open Cattivella in Colorado This Fall
Award-winning Denver chef Elise Wiggins will open Cattivella, wood-fired Italian this fall as part of the Eastbridge project in the Stapleton, Colorado, neighborhood where she lives. Cattivella translates to "naughty girl". "I can't believe I'm opening my own restaurant in my own neighborhood, just a few blocks from my own house," says Wig...
Union Station tells tragic tale of ancient city’s destruction with grand opening of Pompeii: The Exhibition
It was a moment of terror, forever preserved in history. Now Kansas Citians can get a glimpse of the destruction of the ancient Italian city of Pompeii at a Union Station exhibit. The city was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D. History tells us close to 2,000 people died when that volcano erupted, sending vo...
Yacovelli's Restaurant to close
by Angela Mueller Yacovelli's Restaurant in Florissant, which has been in business for 95 years, will shut its doors on Jan. 1. Owners Jack and Jan Yacovelli, who have operated the family business for the past 37 years, said they decided in September to close the iconic restaurant, St. Louis Public Radio reports. "We're tired, we want to hav...
Review: Everything about Aposto is just right
By Karla Walsh After 10 years, Des Moines food fans said goodbye to Cafe di Scala, as owner Tony Lemmo turned a new page in the story of Southern Italian food in the metro. The wait wasn't long for the next chapter. Just a couple months, in fact. Lemmo and his team launched Aposto in early 2016 in the same historic Sherman Hill Victorian that...
Craftsman from Italy fixes Lincoln Winebar’s pizza oven
At times while fixing Lincoln Winebar's wood-fired pizza oven Friday, craftsman Stefano Ferrara climbed all the way through the oven's small door, his son supporting his feet so Ferrara could reach the back of the four-foot interior. The Naples, Italy, craftsman is considered one of the best in the business, said Lincoln Winebar owner Jess...
New Italian restaurant to replace Lowertown's Trattoria Da Vinci
by Jess Fleming The former Trattoria Da Vinci space in Lowertown St. Paul won't be empty for long - a new, more modern, yet still rustic, Italian restaurant is moving in. The restaurant, to be called Parco 400, will be helmed by chef Troy Unruh, a St. Paul native who spent 12 years working in New York City under big-name chefs like Ma...
Dr. Allen Merriam, guest columnist: Italy's influences made big impact on America
By Dr. Allen H. Merriam Editor's note: Missouri Southern State University will be celebrating the Italy Semester this fall with some 50 events scheduled on campus. For a complete listing, visit www.mssu.edu/italy. Italy is home to 61 million people who inhabit an area about the size of Arizona. Strategically located on the Mediter...