Staten Island pizzeria receives city recognition for donating food to migrants
A local Travis business received an honorable citation from the city’s public advocate for feeding Central and South American migrants that have been sent to the community as they seek asylum. Owners of the business, Verde’s Pizza and Pasta House, over the past few weeks have fed dozens of migrants simply out of the kindness of their hearts. Public...
Joseph Romeo honored for civic involvement
Joseph Romeo was recently honored with the Distinguished Service Award for his work in the Franklin Square community. The Associazione Culturale Italiana di New York, a nonprofit Italian American organization that works to keep the Italian culture alive and well within various communities in the state, bestowed him with the award on Sept. 10 at Rus...
Exploring Tuscan Wine Country By Fiat Cinquecento - Part 1
During a recent vacation I visited Tuscan wineries in a Fiat 500 car— known in Italy as a cinquecento (pronounced CHINK-way CHEN-tow). The word—rolling with alliteration—can apparently also add emphasis. The car is a mobile chunk of culture—compact and crammed with history, like the Italian Republic. A Florentine winemaker named Paola, or Paolina (...
FoodCrush Podcast: Bringing Italy to the table with the folks from Ca'Lucchenzo
Last spring, we sat down with Sarah and Zak Baker, the husband and wife team behind Ca’Lucchenzo Pastificio & Enoteca, a West Side mecca for housemade pasta and regional Italian dishes. Our conversation centered around their culinary backgrounds and the experiences that made opening their own restaurant possible. But we promised to bring them back...
Crews break ground on Piazza Miramare in San Pedro
After years of planning, ground was finally broken on what will soon be Piazza Miramare in San Pedro, a dedication to the large Italian community living in the area. The ceremony was held in accordance with Italian-American Heritage Month, and when finished, the spot will be home to the country's newest Little Italy, along 6th Street and Harbor Bo...
Friendship and camaraderie, made in the Alpi: the legendary “coppa dell'amicizia”
There is nothing better than sharing a drink with friends, and in the quaint Alpine northern region of Valle d’Aosta, they know how to do it in great style and with a nod to tradition. If you have ever been in this corner of the country, where the Alps forged the landscape and the character of people, then you may be familiar with its wood-carving...
Statesman Names Italian Restaurant L’Oca d’Oro as the Best in Austin
Fresh off his appearance on the newest season of Somebody Feed Phil this week, Statesman food critic Matthew Odam released his annual dining guide where he ranks the best restaurants in Austin. Number one is Mueller Italian restaurant L’Oca d’Oro, because co-owners chef Fiore Tedesco and Adam Orman advocate for the restaurant community through nonp...
St. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini's 1901 visit to Boston
Earlier this month, on Oct. 9, Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, founder of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (commonly known as the Scalabrini Fathers) and Missionary Sisters of St. Charles, was canonized. His life and deeds have been highlighted in many publications so, rather than reiterate these facts, we are glad to share some episodes abou...
Downtown Jersey City’s Italian Past
I am fortunate to have been raised in the Downtown Section of Jersey City during the 60’s and 70’s. Even though Downtown had a “tainted” reputation at that time, it was the center of Italian heritage in Jersey City. There were other parts of Jersey City with significant Italian populations. However, Downtown was special; it was “The Italian Village...
Abruzzo: A Land Between the Sea and the Mountains
Abruzzo is a region located in central Italy. It has an amazing territory, from the Apennines to the Adriatic Coast. There are incredible facets from the climatic, geographical, and food and wine point of view. Until 1963 Abruzzo was united with Molise, a neighboring region. It shared with it geographical, administrative and political borders. The...
Design District is getting a new flamingo pink-hued Italian restaurant next month
A buzzy, upscale Italian restaurant hailing from Toronto’s affluent Yorkville neighborhood is making its way down to Miami this fall. Decked out in pink marble and polished chrome, Sofia Design District is slated to open this November in Palm Court, offering classic Italian fine dining in a modern, Neapolitan ice cream-hued indoor-outdoor space. Th...
Hallowed Ground: The Legacy of Letterkenny Army Depot’s Italian POWs
While the location—a little more than 10 miles from the Mason-Dixon Line—might not immediately spring to mind when thinking of areas of historic Italian American significance, the grounds of the Letterkenny Army Depot tell a much different story. During World War II, the United States government interned more than 1,200 captured Italian soldiers at...