On Saturday, August 21, 1993, Borracchini's Bakery & Mediterranean Market in Seattle bakes, decorates, and sells a record 125 wedding cakes, enough, owner Remo Borracchini estimates, to serve 13,780 wedding guests. The Rainier Valley business, founded in 1922 by Italian immigrants Mario and Maria Borracchini, is famous for its custom cakes, friendl...

If you’re looking for a family whose roots in the museum and art world run deep, you’d be hard-pressed to find one with more extensive experience than the Bufano family. Some might say a bit of showmanship rubbed off as well: the family traces its roots to Castellaneta, a small town in Puglia where Rudolph Valentino was born.   Born in Rochester, N...

When: April 28, 2021 – 7:30 p.m. PTSpeaker: Maurizio Igor MetaTopic: “Ellis Island”Location: Online – Zoom (go to https://danteseattle.org/event/italian-language-meeting-april-28-2021/ on April 28th to get the link) There will be a “social hour” beginning at 7 pm. The presentation will start at 7:30. “Ellis Island” is the Journey of Life. It is not...

Seattle is losing another institution as Borracchini’s Bakery announced Saturday it would remain permanently closed due to financial losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Months of no gatherings, weddings or parties proved to be too much for the iconic Italian deli, which shut its doors after 100 years in business.  “Needless to say, it was devastatin...

It's official! Festa Italiana has been approved to host a "Live" Italian Festival at Seattle Center this year on Saturday & Sunday, September 25 & 26, 2021. Details are still being finalized but in all probability, most of the event will be outdoors with an emphasis on Cooking Demos, Food Booths, the All-Italian Dog Show and an expanded Classic Ita...

Prima visita a Casa Italiana-Italian Cultural Center a Seattle per la vice presidente del Comites di San Francisco, Francesca Morabito, che qui ha incontrato la console onoraria Elisabetta Valentini e il direttore della Casa Italiana Franco Tesorieri. Casa Italiana, spiega il Comites, “sarà la sede non solo di tutte le organizzazioni e comunità ita...

At 100 years old, Seattle’s Eleanor Owen lives on her own in her big, old house. She drives, she’s not on a single medication, and she’s sharp, with an enviable memory. Her 100th birthday was in January and because of the quarantine, like so many others, she had to have her party over Zoom. “I have 300 birthday cards, if not more, that I haven’t op...

A year into the pandemic, perhaps no business sector has been more gravely affected than the hospitality industry – from restaurants and bars to hotels and inns. Without commitment, determination and a huge dose of creativity, it’s been nearly impossible for these businesses to stay viable and vibrant.  Joe Fugere, founder of Seattle’s Tutta Bella...

ANGELO PELLEGRINI, fond of wearing basil as a boutonniere, was fonder still of the Italian bean he called “monachine.” It grew like Jack’s beanstalk astride Northwest cedar poles and, like Pellegrini, aged well in its adopted country. He always ate them slowly, mashing each brown-and-white orb with the tines of his fork, swiped through a smear of o...

In the early 1990s, a group of residents began lobbying Seattle city government to add another sister city to its roster – this time, one from Italy. It would be a first, since at the time Washington State did not have a sister city from the Bel Paese.   After some discussion, the group settled on the city of Perugia, the capital of Umbria. Perugia...