A love of onions brings two cities together
by Rita Cipalla This is the story of two cities on two continents brought together by a visionary corporate executive and a mutual love of onions. In December, if all goes according to plan, Walla Walla, Wash., famous for the sweet onion that bears its name, will sign an agreement with Cannara, a small town in central Umbria, to becom...
Spotlight on a Senior: Stephen A. Narracci
By Gail Donahue Think for a moment about how overstated sporting events, especially on the professional level, and all that surround them appear to be. There are massive crowds, cheers, jeers, screaming, injuries, controversy, and salaries equivalent to winning Powerball every year. Sports, in general, and all that goes with it do not imm...
Langone's Florist in Springfield's South End readies for reopening
By Jim Kinney South End institution Langone's Florist is getting fixed up now and will hopefully be open again in January. New operator Brian Grisel, owner of the Gilded Lilly on Wilbraham Road in Sixteen Acres and A Cut Above Florist on Memorial Drive in Chicopee, said Wednesday there was simply too much to do and too little time to...
Marcello’s opens in Metairie with Sicilian menu
by Ian McNulty An Italian restaurant that's found success in a former cabaret space downtown now has a second location on a much different stage. The new Marcello's Restaurant & Wine Bar opened in Metairie today (Jan. 18). The address was previously a location of the Mexican restaurant Coyote Blues. The design, which...
Piada CEO discusses differentiation in a competitive market
by Jonathan Maze Shortly before opening time earlier this week at Piada Italian Street Food's newest location in a Minneapolis suburb, the entire staff gathered at the front counter for a meeting. To Chris Doody, the fast-casual chain's founder and CEO, who was at a table in the dining area, the meeting illustrates one of the unseen effor...
O is for Old-School Italian
by Dan Curd No other country has had a greater impact on American taste than Italy. Even though in recent years we've been bombarded by globalization and multiculturalism, the Italian brand remains strong. Currently, modern Italian cooking is in fashion, spawning restaurants like Lombardino's, Cento and Osteria Papavero. Yet for...
Italian-American’s host Carnavale
The Italian-American Association of Luzerne County will hold a February dinner meeting and annual Carnavale celebration at 6 p.m. on Friday at Genetti's Hotel and Convention Center in Wilkes-Barre. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Fish can be chosen as alternate dinner choice at time of reservation. Music will be provided by Danny Argo and F...
From produce to pizza: The Glorioso's legacy in Milwaukee
Stand even for a moment on the landing just inside the doors of Glorioso's Italian Market on Brady Street and your olfactory system will be stimulated, not only by the spicy, yeasty and vegetal odors of a typical grocery environment, but also by the pungent aromas of Italian cheeses and spicy Italian sausage. "People from Philadelphia or N...
You be the judge: Jurists host dinner to honor St. Joseph
It began years back as a way to further preserve the proud and distinctive cultural heritage associated with the Feast of St. Joseph — and thankfully the custom has managed to withstand the test of time. And together to this day, State Supreme Court Justice Philip G. Minardo, retired state Supreme Court Justice Anthony I. Giacobbe and reti...
Bassetti: «Chi copia i nostri prodotti ci fa un favore»
«Per me dovremmo benedire il parmesan, non demonizzarlo, né tantomeno combatterlo». Difficile ascoltare, o leggere, una tesi simile e non pensare sia autolesionista. Eppure, secondo Piero Bassetti, il finto parmigiano-reggiano e tutti i prodotti "italian sounding" sono degli ambasciatori inconsapevoli del nostro modo di produrre e di vivere. ...
Italy’s Prosecco craze shows no signs of fizzling out
Prosecco has experienced another boom in 2015. The previous year's strong growth was repeated again last year on all fronts: production of the sparkling wine jumped by 16% to 355 million bottles (from 306 million) and exports grew by 23% in volumes and by 24.5% in value. For the current year, the Consortium of Prosecco Doc estimates a production o...
Italian Culture Society to Host Program on Multi-layered Rome
The Italian Cultural Society of Long Beach Island will take people on a virtual tour of ancient and modern Rome on Monday, May 9 at 6 p.m. when it presents "Rome: City of God(s), City of Man" at the Long Beach Island Branch of the Ocean County Library in Surf City. Guest lecturer Christopher Bellitto, associate professor of history at Kean...