At Silver Lake’s new Ceci’s Gastronomia, Italian grandmas rule
Chef Francesco Lucatorto and his wife and business partner, Francesca Pistorio, thought they might be stuck in Italy. There are, of course, worse fates than living out your days with family along the coast in Liguria, but they’d traveled there last summer planning to stay only a few weeks and then return to Los Angeles to finally open a bricks-and-...
Announcing the 153rd San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade
The San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade is proud to announce its return to the streets of San Francisco on Sunday, October 10, 2021. The Italian Heritage Parade will be the first major parade to take place in the city since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and will once again coincide with San Francisco Fleet Week. Graziano Cerchiai, owner of S...
San Francisco welcomes new Consul General of Italy, Sergio Strozzi
Starting a new job in the middle of the pandemic has been tough for many. Needless to say, it is as hard if that means moving overseas to take on the role as new Consul General. Consul General of Italy, Sergio Strozzi, arrived in San Francisco with his husband, Simone, and his daughter, Caterina, at the end of May, a few weeks before the official k...
Fiorella’s New Location Means Rooftop Spritz and Pizza Dinners for the Inner Sunset
Fiorella, the Italian restaurant with locations on Clement and Polk, will start slinging its top-notch Neopolitan-style pizzas in the Inner Sunset on Monday, August 30. The restaurant’s third location is its most ambitious: it’s the first to feature a full bar and is housed in a bi-level space with a wood fireplace and a rooftop deck. The building...
IAP 199: Greetings from Italian California!
Ciao paesani… and Greetings From Italian CALIFORNIA! This past July, we made our way out West to explore the Italian side of the Golden State, as we set out to film four brand-new episodes of our popular YouTube web series, “Greetings From Italian America.” Joined by our amici from the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), we took a whirlw...
Angelini Osteria expands with new restaurant in Palisades Village
“Maybe I’m crazy,” says Gino Angelini on a recent phone call. The 68-year-old chef-owner of the lauded Angelini Osteria on Beverly Boulevard is preparing to open an Italian restaurant in the Palisades Village this winter. “I started working in the kitchen when I was 13. You never know with the pandemic, but it will make me stronger to do it.” Angel...
From inroads to superhighways, Italian grapes get around
Whether or not Italian food conquered the world, as claimed by the grandiose title of a book published 10 years ago, a case can be made for the diaspora of Italy’s native grapes. Familiar varieties such as Sangiovese, Barbera, Montepulciano and Nebbiolo have taken root in unexpected places as widespread as Uruguay, South Africa and Israel. Winemake...
Portico perfects Italian on Sebastopol’s Main Street
If you had the good fortune to eat at Portico Italian Social Food in Sebastopol before the pandemic, you probably spent this past year hoping they’d survive to feed you again. Thankfully, Paolo Pedrinazzi and Kat Escamilla not only survived this tough year (offering wonderful take out meals), they are back. They offer inside dining in their safely...
Roberto Bolle and Friends dancing under the stars of the Festival Napa Valley
The Festival Napa Valley reopened its door in the beautiful wine country after the interruption caused by the pandemic last year. Together with local artists, the programming brought one of the most representative Italian ballet dancers, Roberto Bolle, to California. A principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre from 2009-2019, a principal dancer é...
True Italian Taste Returns to Los Angeles
Every year, the Italian American Chamber of Commerce West (IACCW) puts on a series of events called True Italian Taste. The pandemic put things on a hiatus, but the group is back with an unbelievably tasty dinner series in Los Angeles. For some background, True Italian Taste is in its fifth year and its goal is to promote restaurants and chefs as t...
Via Maestra 42 legacy lives on under new ownership
Via Maestra 42, a North State Italian restaurant and deli, is serving its authentic Italian favorites under new ownership. Well, somewhat new. The restaurant’s now-retired owner Renato Moisio wasn’t going to let his legacy go to just anyone, so he called someone the restaurant’s regulars are likely to remember. Nicole Bitar worked as Via Maestra 42...
Chapman University President Endows Bernardino Telesio Professorship in Italian Studies
Daniele C. Struppa, Ph.D., 13th president of Chapman University, has created a $1 million legacy gift for Chapman. He has designated the Italian Studies program of the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Chapman University as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy that, upon his passing, will endow the Bernardino Teles...