Ynot Italian has been serving up savory pizza and Italian eats in the Hampton Roads area for 27 years. With six flourishing locations, CEO Tony DiSilvestro knew it was time to give back to his community when the pandemic started a year ago. "Giving back, to us, is in the three pillars of our brand, so it was natural for us to give to the community...

It has been nearly a year since COVID-19 changed the livelihoods of the Emporia-Greensville community. No businesses were forced to face more obstacles than dining establishments. Many restaurant businesses, including some in Emporia-Greensville, didn’t survive the ramifications of the pandemic. Fo Sho Italian Sports Bar & Grille is one of the fort...

For years I’ve driven past the red, white and green sign that signals Bella Italia, an Italian eatery in a strip mall on South Virginia. I’ve never gone in and I constantly wondered why not. So, when a friend and I were looking for a new-to-us dinner spot, we decided to give the longtime Reno establishment a try. Upon first phone call to make a res...

La Fiamma, the restaurant replacing Paradiso Italian Restaurant, is holding a grand opening Tuesday at 6124 Franconia Road, Alexandria. Paradiso Italian Restaurant was a longtime family-run restaurant that closed in October 2020. The owners announced they were passing the torch to new owners to open the new concept. The new owners are Gonzalo and...

Buying a new cell phone can be a breeze for the tech-savvy but an exhausting chore for the technologically challenged. Switching from a smartphone to a smarter one proved to be quite an ordeal for my stepmom Susan and me. After three hours of confusing technical gibberish, we walked out with a new phone and a serious appetite. While searching for a...

The Italian Navy flagship, the aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550), arrived at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Feb 13 for a series of operations alongside U.S. military assets to attain the Italian Navy’s “Ready for Operations” certification to safely land and launch F-35B aircraft.While in the Western Atlantic, Cavour will be embarked by an F-35 Join...

Ada Nelson was born in Rome, Italy in 1920. 100 years later, she finds herself celebrating her century birthday in Alexandria, Virginia. Ada lives at The Hermitage Northern Virginia Retirement Community in Alexandria. When The Zebra heard they were ‘planning some party outside her window with balloons and friends,’ we knew we had to meet the one-ce...

The 1907 Monongah explosions may be remembered for Italian deaths that exceeded those in 1956 Marcinelle. It may better serve us to remember the West Virginia disaster for the way body pieces were assembled, covered and paraded with a deception so grand that pieces of assembled flesh were given Italian names or for the Monongah myths imported into...

She calls herself “Sam the Lasagna Lady.” After seeing how many people were affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Samantha Peavy decided to bring some extra joy to the holiday season by sharing her lasagna with the Norfolk community. “There are some people who are really just struggling with a meal, so we just want to share in the good spirit of gi...

Paradiso Italian Restaurant in Franconia will be closing its doors. The restaurant's owners are handing the reins to the next generation, who will renovate and reopen as a new restaurant called La Fiamma. The business will remain in the family. The restaurant has been open for nearly three decades, since 1991. The company's affiliated restaurants, ...