With just two days left in Italy’s 2023 school year, Pietro Setti was finally informed where he would study abroad: Lone Tree, Iowa, nearly 5,000 miles away from home. Despite the short notice, the distance and the fact Setti had no say where he would go, he was nothing but excited. “I know that traveling is very fun, discovering new places and new...
Lead was once the second largest city in South Dakota and the largest west river. At the time, the mining hub brought people from all around the world. The city’s annual Hidden Treasures Heritage Festival focuses on one historic community each year - and in 2024, Italian culture will be at the forefront. “We have so much history here” Lead City Pla...
I’ve been in on The Italian Sausage Company from the very beginning. I’ve written about their incredible collaboration with James Chang and one of their many specials. Well, they’ve done it again. Michelle and Joe Brancato are the couple who run everything from baking fresh bread, making their own Italian sausage, and even handling their own market...
When I first took over, every phone call I'd receive would say, ‘I’m looking for the owner, is he there?’ They would always act so surprised that there was a woman in charge in the meat business,” recalls Diana Payne, owner of Canino's Sausage Company.Known to many as the Sausage Queen of Denver, Payne has been the sole owner of Canino’s since 1989...
Sports found Vic Lombardi. And he has spent his adult life finding ways to make it more fun and interesting for the rest of us. The son of Italian immigrants Ezio and Bambina, Lombardi did not speak English until around the age of 7. He remembers watching neighborhood kids play football, not knowing the rules, but joining the game anyway. “It was m...
A second location for coal-fired pizza from Brooklyn opened in the Des Moines metro on Friday. Grimaldi’s Pizzeria debuted at West Glen Town Center in the former Club Envy space. Zach Baldwin said he first tasted Grimaldi’s pizza in New York City and really liked it. Then he ate Grimaldi’s again in Arizona, and he said the quality and taste were th...
An eagerly expected addition to downtown Columbia's restaurant scene is now open. Endwell Taverna, which promises New York-style pizza, pasta and more, opened over the weekend at 107 N. Ninth St. Opening-week hours (minus Tuesday, when the restaurant is closed) are: - Lunch: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.- Aperitivo: 4 to 5 p.m.; aperitivo is defined as a drink...
Italian citizens are informed that, in collaboration with the Honorary Vice Consul, a ‘Passport Day’ is scheduled for June 25th 2024 at the Honorary Vice Consulate’s office in Kansas City for the acquisition of biometric data for the purpose of issuing an Italian passport, without the need to go to the Consulate General’s office in Chicago. Italian...
Lead’s Italian community will be the main focus for this year’s annual Heritage Festival, June 21-22. Lead Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Terry Smith told the city commission on Monday that the event, sponsored by the Lead Historic Preservation Commission, the South Dakota Humanities Council, the South Dakota Historical Society, South Da...
One restaurant in downtown Park Rapids is doing its best to make its Italian cuisine as authentic as possible. In 2008, Denese Jokela, a co-owner of Necce’s Ristorante and its head chef, took a trip to Italy and was so inspired by the restaurants and hospitality while she was there that she decided she wanted to bring that back to her home in Minne...
A taste of Italia right here in Omaha! The Carlentini Omaha Association and walking tour group the Nebraska Trailblazers hosted a Little Italy Walking Tour where neighbors learned about the areas rich histroy and enjoyed few good bites. Sheri Kanger hosted the walking tour, her family has lived in Little Italy for generations and says she worked wi...
The annual UNICO All-State Football Classic is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at Wyoming Area’s stadium in West Pittston. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $5. Derek Zambino is the UNICO chapter president, Jamie Anzalone is game chairman, and Randy Spencer is the Sponsor’s Award winner, The game features the top seniors from the Wyoming Va...