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The weekend of gravy and grazie, pasta and powder rooms, music and meatballs is upon us, as Memphis Italian Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary, and all things Italian, at Marquette Park in East Memphis. Powder rooms? Yes. The portable potty might not hail from Italy, but only at Italian Fest will you find a contest dedicated to how it’s decor...

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Franco Contaldo knows there’s an easy way to ruin a good Italian dish. “People use too much garlic,” he said. “You want to taste it, but you don’t want it to overpower everything else.” When he makes pesto, he doesn’t even put garlic in it. Before you think him a madman, give his Pesto Delicato recipe at the end of this article a try, and have a lo...

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The beloved Fino's restaurant will return to Memphis in April. Kelly English and the Iris Restaurant Group (Restaurant Iris, The Second Line, Magnolia House, Iris Etc.) have purchased the Fino’s brand from former owners. Fino’s will open back up and operate at the original location on the ground level of the Gilmore apartments (corner of McLean and...

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In honor of the 10th anniversary of their first restaurant, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman are throwing a star-studded chef block party Oct. 22. Ticer and Hudman have invited some of their closest chef friends and industry peers who have inspired them throughout the last decade to join them for this special cele...

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The new Ronnie Grisanti’s is a labor of love. “I knew my father wanted one more restaurant. I had to do this for him,” said chef and owner Judd Grisanti with tears in his eyes. The Grisanti family has been serving its beloved Northern Italian fare in Memphis for more than 100 years. Judd’s great-grandfather Rinaldo opened his first Memphis restaura...

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After 29th years the Italian Festival in Memphis continues to draw crowds. The East Memphis event offered live music, Italian food, and games Saturday. People ate in Luigi’s Café which included meals from several local restaurants. Local 24 spoke with a cook whose team has competed in the gravy competition for 20 years. “Just the family atmosphere....

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During the 1960s, movies from Italy, created by such visionary auteurs as Fellini, Pasolini and Antonioni, were staples of the art-house cinemas that popped up like cinecybin mushrooms in hip urban centers, university towns and even such minor metropolises as Memphis.  Grindhouses, drive-ins and mainstream commercial theaters also imported their sh...

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L’Ambasciatore d’Italia negli Stati Uniti, Armando Varricchio, ha terminato con una visita allo stabilimento della Beretta inaugurato a Gallatin nel 2016, il suo viaggio in Tennessee. L’appuntamento con i vertici dell’azienda italiana corona una visita tesa a rimarcare i forti legami economici che uniscono l’Italia allo Stato del sud-est, ma anche,...

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Tennessee and its people have left a mark in politics, in business and, especially, in the arts. While visiting Memphis and Nashville this week, I could not help but wonder what the music scene around the world would be like today had it not been for icons such as the Grand Ole Opry or Sun Studios. There's another way that Tennessee’s legacy has sp...

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Judd Grisanti will open an East Memphis location of Ronnie Grisanti's Italian Restaurant within the next couple of months, taking over the spot at Regalia where Heritage Tavern and Kitchen closed Wednesday. "We're going to keep the one in Collierville too," Grisanti said. "I still have a lease there."  The spot at 6150 Poplar was for years Mikasa J...

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