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Let’s go back to the 1900s. It was a new era of innovation and immigration. New Orleans’ Italian population was at such an all-time high, pockets of the city were called “Little Italy.” Around this time, Salvatore Lupo and his Sicilian family ran Central Grocery, serving hundreds of Italian immigrants food from their home country. Their most popula...

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The Italian Irish parade rolled through the streets of Gretna (LA) on Sunday, March 10 and attendees were eager to catch some good throws. “We are going to have a nice time throwing, we got tons of stuff to throw to the kids today,” said parade rider William. Hundreds crowded the streets not only for beads but for some groceries to stock up their p...

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The Historic BK House & Gardens is set to honor the Patron Saint of Sicily with its annual St. Joseph’s Altar on March 18th and 19th. Located at 1113 Chartres Street, BK House continues the sacred Sicilian tradition, once embraced by the Corrado Giacona Family from the 1890s to 1925. The celebration begins with a private blessing of the altar by Fa...

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The “World’s Largest Bowl of Pasta Con Le Sarde” is making a return ahead of St. Joseph’s Day. Happening at 12 p.m. on Friday, March 15 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, the Italian American St. Joseph Society will host its annual St. Joseph’s Pasta Party. The public is invited to join fellow Italian-Americans in a celebration of Italian Heritag...

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Angelo Brocato is an ice cream shop in New Orleans, Louisiana that first opened over 100 years ago. The shop's namesake, Angelo Brocato, reportedly learned to make Italian-style flavored ice in the late 1800s when he began an apprenticeship at a Palermo ice cream shop at age 12. While there, he also learned many other culinary techniques that the s...

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Former LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri will be inducted into the Louisiana American Italian Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 24. Mainieri and his fellow award recipients will be honored at the 38th annual gala that will be held at the Hilton Riverside in downtown New Orleans at 6 p.m. CT. Visit here for tickets and information. The Board of Dire...

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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at LSU will host Louisiana author Elisa M. Speranza at the Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., Baton Rouge, at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14. Speranza will discuss the fascinating true back story to her novel, "The Italian Prisoner." The event is free and open to the public. A work of historical ficti...

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Louisiana is known around the globe for our incredible Cajun and Creole cuisine, but a lesser known secret is that we have some amazing Italian restaurants. In fact, here's a look at the 10 best Italian restaurants across Louisiana, and a Lafayette restaurant has landed on the list. The history of Italians in Louisiana, particularly in New Orleans,...

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The Randazzo family has held a storied place in king cake history for more than a half century, since patriarch Salvador "Sam" Randazzo and his sons crafted their recipe in his St. Bernard Parish bakery in 1965. But after his grandson, Manny Randazzo Jr., opened a Metairie bakery in 1992 and started selling king cake using the family's original rec...

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A staple in Norco for 17 years, Lovecchio’s Deli closed it’s doors in October in order to reopen a new restaurant in St. Rose. Last Wednesday, their first day in business at the new location, they sold out of all daily specials. They sold out of specials the next two days as well. “What an amazing grand opening day,” the restaurant posted on Facebo...

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