For many Oregon kids, pizza is less a dietary staple than a fact of life. But that wasn’t always the case. Even after World War II, newspaper references to “pizza” were still put in quotations, with recipes typically calling for ”4 English muffins” or “2 cans Maine sardines.” That was before 1949, the year Caro Amico opened on Southwest Barbur Boul...

Sunday, October 6th, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM PDT. Grand Amari, 509 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR. Buy Sagra ticket here. Join us for Sagra, our beloved celebration of Italian culture and a key fundraising event for the Portland Bologna Sister City Association’s Youth Exchange Program and BIPOC Youth Scholarship. Aperitivo + Dinner Experience ($80).  Aperiti...

January 2024 Let's find out about the Italians in the Pacific Northwest

So many restaurants out there claim to serve “authentic” Italian food, but when the Curbside Italian Kitchen in Silverton says it—they really mean it! The owners, Pietro Sangiorgi and Giulia Burato, are actually from Verona, Italy and purchased this adorable little cafe just last year. However, running a small-town restaurant wasn't always their pl...

Over a century ago, a tight-knit network of Italian American families started selling local produce in Portland’s Central Eastside. It began on a single city block and expanded from there — carts and wagons overflowing with fresh fruits and vegetables often arrived before dawn to set up shop. It was “farm-to-table” before “farm-to-table” needed a s...

Grants honoring Italian American Philanthropist Ms. Maria Manetti Shrem are available through the COMITES (Committee of Italians Abroad), under the auspices of the Consulate of Italy in San Francisco, to support students taking the AP Italian Language and Culture Exam in 2024. As an effort to increase the number of AP Italian Language and Culture E...

The great wave of Italian immigrants to the United States began in the 1880s and lasted until 1920. More than four million Italians made the journey, with about 75 percent settling in cities on the East Coast. A small contingent worked their way to the Pacific Northwest. Often unskilled or unable to speak the language, they took whatever jobs they...

As it did for most people who spent time in the Willamette Valley, Nick’s Italian Cafe quickly wove its way into Thomas Ghinazzi’s life. After his daughter was born in 2014, the year he moved to Oregon, his parents brought Nick’s takeout to the hospital. Nick’s was the first place he and his wife ate out after getting married. And it was the obviou...

Hungry for pizza but want something besides the typical triangle? Head to Montelupo Focacceria in Sellwood for delicious focaccia pizza. You will not be disappointed. Every time I’m in the Sellwood area, I stop in for one of the delicious, thick, chewy pizzas. Even if I’ve already eaten or there is nowhere to sit (it’s a small shop with only a few...

Keen-eyed Nostrana diners in Portland, OR may have noticed the Buckman Italian restaurant’s growing collection of unusual-looking cookbooks. The restaurant staff has spent years collecting all 20 first editions of the “In Bocca” (in the mouth) series of cookbooks produced in the late 1970s by Palermo, Italy, publisher Il Vespro. First, they built a...