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Like so many other Chicago-area Italian Americans, Ron Onesti traces his stateside roots to the legendary Taylor Street Little Italy on the city’s Near West Side. His father’s parents settled there when they arrived from Italy, his father grew up and made lasting memories there, and Onesti was born in the neighborhood and went to school at St. Call...

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The sweet aroma of roasted garlic and grilled Italian sausage will fill the air in Chicago's "Original" Little Italy as The Taylor Street Little Italy Festa returns Thursday, August 8 thru Sunday, August 11, 2024, on Taylor Street between Ashland Avenue and Loomis Street in Chicago. "Everyone is so excited to come back to the 'Old Neighborhood' for...

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It is no secret that I am an Italian American, and a proud one at that. I was born on Taylor Street in Chicago’s “Little Italy.” Being a child of the early ’60s, I was fortunate enough to have experienced much of the music from the ’60s and ’70s now referred to as “Heritage Rock” and “Classic Rock.” But how I was really lucky was the fact that I ha...

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A long-running effort to turn a stretch of Harlem Avenue on the Far Northwest Side into a walkable showcase for Italian American businesses and culture like Little Italy’s Taylor Street is inching forward. City planners told the 2-mile stretch between Grand Avenue and Irving Park Road can become a destination neighborhood with improvements to the s...

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Cellar master and Tuscan wine ambassador Beppe d’Andrea will be in Chicago this October to host a pair of events at Tuscany on Taylor Street and Stefani Prime. Beppe will be meeting guests, detailing the history of Ruffino Wines, and providing additional insight into some of the night’s featured wine selections. The Ruffino Wine Experience will tak...

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Crowned "Chicago's Cabaret Queen" by the Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, WGN Radio and Daily Herald, the legendary Denise Tomasello returns to headline the Little Italy Festa-Taylor Street with the 16-piece Denise Tomasello Orchestra in her Vegas-style show. Denise will perform on the mainstage-the Peroni Stage, Sunday, August 20, at 3:00pm- 4:30pm. Th...

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WGN Radio’s David Hochberg, in for Bob Sirott, is joined by Ron Onesti, President & CEO at Onesti Entertainment, Arcada Theatre, and The Des Plaines Theatre. Listen in while Onesti talks about his Italian-Chicago roots and how growing up on Taylor Street has made him into the successful businessman he is today. Onesti also shares some fun Onesti En...

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As proud Italian Americans, it is important to buy products from Italian American-owned businesses. Equally as important, it is enjoyable to pay visits to neighborhoods that are historically Italian, specifically communities that still have a significant amount of Italian American residents. The Empire State has Little Italy in Manhattan, Bensonhur...

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Chicago has several pockets of Italian culture: the original Little Italy on Taylor Street, plus the area of West 24th Street and Oakley Avenue as well as a portion of North Harlem Avenue. NBC 5’s Food Guy Steve Dolinsky says there was also a vibrant corridor along Grand Avenue in West Town at one point. More recently, that area has been making a s...

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October through December is my favorite time of year. I’m that person who decorates for fall in August and drinks pumpkin spice lattes when it’s still 90 degrees. Out of that whole glorious season, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Last year, I spent Thanksgiving in Treviso, Italy. I hadn’t planned on still being there that late in the season, b...

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