A taste of Stockton's Italian past
By Michael Fitzgerald Mary Risso, the "Foccacia Queen" who baked cookies for neighbors and her mailman, has died. She was 98. "Her personality was sweet," said Risso's daughter, Marie Dremelas. "When you met her for the first time you said, 'My gosh, where has this woman been all my life?'" And then Risso gave you homemade pasta sauc...
Opening for Assistant Professor in Italian and German
The position is in the department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at San Francisco State University. SF State is a member of the California State University system and serves a diverse student body of 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The University seeks to promote appreciation of scholarship, freedom and, human diversity through ex...
The Renaissance of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil
by Silvia Donati California olive oil producers are hard at work these days, with the olive harvest season currently under way. An unprecedented production of 4 million gallons of extra virgin olive oil is estimated for this year's harvest, almost double what was produced last year. A sign that the California olive oil industry is...
Here’s where to play bocce ball in Sonoma County
Peggy Fransen prepared to toss her bocce ball into a crowded field of red and green spheres, all huddled around a little white pallino. She had a strategic conundrum. Should she try to knock out an opponent's red ball or try to land her green one closest to the pallino, a small white ball? Or, take the safe route and throw it outside the scrum...
Cucina's little sister finally grows up
By Michele Parente Tracy Borkum was in a panic. "No, it's too soon!" the owner of Cucina Sorella cried out when she saw me come in to the restaurant. Borkum's long-awaited high-profile Kensington eatery had opened only a few days before, so yes, it was too soon to review it. I assured her that I was there more as an excited civi...
"Italians in California Agriculture: the Case of the Artichoke"
In the 1920's, a group of Italian American farmers in the San Francisco Bay area ventured south to the little town of Castroville (near Monterey) to plant a crop that was then regarded as a rare exotic - the artichoke. Today, still more than 85% of all artichokes grown in the United States come from these same plantings. Why artichokes and why Cast...
USA - Il cappello nel cinema, artigiani toscani a Los Angeles
Inaugurazione in vista per la mostra "Hats on Film/Il cappello nel cinema" che aprirà i battenti a Los Angeles il 19 febbraio. Ad ospitare l'esposizione, promossa da Artigianato e Palazzo e il consorzio "Il cappello di Firenze", saranno le sale dell'Istituto italiano di cultura che daranno spazio all'istallazione di centinaia di cappelli di paglia,...
San Diego Public Library presents Giuseppe Verdi Marathon
In celebration of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's 200th birthday, the City of San Diego Public Library will offer a VERDIthon—a marathon screening of rarely seen Verdi operas on film on Thursday, October 10. Two of Verdi's beloved operas: "Rigoletto" and "La Traviata" will be produced as feature length films and showcase some of the worl...
Italians, thinking of moving to San Francisco? BAIA is here to help.
If you're an Italian in Italy who is thinking about moving to the Bay Area you should meet the two gentlemen featured in the RAI Italia video above. Matteo Daste and Gabriele Bodda are both genial Italian professionals who have made a meaningful impact in San Francisco in the areas of law and information technology. Mr. Daste was 24 when h...
Taci e sorridi, a Brooklyn si festeggiano le bilance
I "bilancini" si ritrovano a Brooklyn per celebrarsi: Ago Magochef (Giuseppe Agostaro) e Leopoldo Mucci, entrambi nati nel segno della bilancia, anche quest'anno hanno organizzato "The Libra Party" per festeggiare gli "anta" di Ago e Leopoldo e di tutti i nati sotto il segno della bilancia che frequentano da 19 anni il Caffè Taci. La cena è stata r...
Italian Wines, American Style
The Italians brought an amazing gastronomic culture to the States but where is all the Italian wine? As it happens, there is actually a number of vineyards dedicated to Italian wines, but due to the popularity of French wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, we never hear about them. Let's take stock of the Italo-American wines and...
Scenes From Sunday's Italian Heritage Parade
The 147th Italian Heritage Parade entertained crowds on Sunday as it wound through the streets of Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach. More than 90 units—the most ever—were featured as part of the city's oldest civic event, which was established in 1868. Marching bands, floats, vintage cars, equestrians and more entertained an estimated 150,...