Maiolatesi's unveils plans for new restaurant
A business most known for its wine will soon boast a restaurant serving traditional northern Italian cuisine in Scott Township, PA. Construction of a new tasting room and restaurant is well underway at Maiolatesi Wine Cellars on Cabernet Drive, and owner Sal Maiolatesi is aiming for a spring opening for both. The new tasting room — featuring a larg...
South Jersey Times boys basketball notebook: West Deptford once again has Italian flavor
For the second time in four seasons, J McKeown is brushing up on his Italian. Back in 2020, the veteran coach of the West Deptford boys basketball team saw foreign exchange student Antonello Baggi make a huge impact for an Eagles team that went 21-8. Coming into this season, he was happy to welcome in another import from across the pond in junior g...
Bar Franco owner wants to bring 'opulent, New York vibe' to Montclair
It’s not enough that restaurateur and TV producer Franco Porporino already owns the buzziest restaurant in Montclair, Fresco da Franco, a favorite among the Real Housewives of New Jersey. In January, he’ll open Bar Franco, a “bespoke aperitivo bar with a unique, opulent, old-world Harry Cipriani vibe,” adjacent to his Church Street eatery. “The co...
Frank Nasto Jr. of Nasto's Ice Cream in Newark has died
The beloved owner of Nasto's Ice Cream Co. passed away on Christmas Day. Frank Nasto Jr., 86, had become an icon in the Garden State for his sweet Italian specialties like spumoni, tortoni, and tartufo, a wide variety of ice creams, and fresh fruit sorbets. While it's a Newark sweet spot, the frozen confections ship nationally, a success made possi...
Jimmy Roselli Biopic About Frank Sinatra Contemporary In Works With James Ivory, EMP & Remarkable Media
Call Me By Your Name Oscar winner James Ivory is behind a new biopic about Italian American pop singer Jimmy Roselli, who was a competitive voice at a time when Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin were dominating. J.D. Zeik, screenwriter of Robert De Niro pic Ronin, has penned the screenplay. Roselli grew up in Hoboken five houses down from...
Marzoni’s Brick Oven & Brewing Co. Coming to State College Area
A central Pennsylvania-based restaurant chain is set to expand next year with a new location in the State College area. Marzoni’s Brick Oven & Brewing Co. is planning to move into the former TGI Fridays at 1215 N. Atherton St. Once it’s open in 2023, the restaurant will be the family-friendly chain’s fifth franchise in Pennsylvania. Marzoni’s annou...
Remembering Joey Giardello, the South Philly boxing champ who beat ‘Hurricane’ Carter and sued over a Hollywood biopic
Joey Giardello wasn’t born with that name, but it’s the one that became famous. Well, famous enough to land him a statue on East Passyunk Avenue, and to bring standing prominent enough for a defamation suit over a Hollywood movie starring Denzel Washington. (The lawyer who got that suit settled, George Bochetto, has a connection to another statue:...
Dec. 24 declared Franco Harris Day in City of Pittsburgh
Christmas Eve is officially “Franco Harris Day” in the City of Pittsburgh, Mayor Ed Gainey announced. “50 years ago today Franco Harris made the immaculate reception and led the way to the Steelers winning 4 Super Bowls,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “Today we honor not just his talents on the field, but his success off of it. Pittsburgh will always remem...
There’s still time to catch Da Vinci exhibition at Reading Public Museum
Time is running out to see “Da Vinci: The Exhibition,” which runs through Jan. 8 on the third floor of Reading Public Museum in Reading, PA. This exhibition follows the Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci, on a journey of innovation, creativity, science and wonder amid beautiful scenes of the Italian countryside. Developed by Aurea Exhibitions an...
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and NJ guy Dino Danelli from the Rascals Dead at 78
Dino Danelli had an amazing creative career. He was born in Jersey City to an Italian American family and by the time he was 17 he had played drums for jazz legend Lionel Hampton then took the train south and ended up playing soul, blues and R & B in New Orleans. He found a band that he liked, convinced them to come back to Jersey and played around...
Giuseppe De Nittis: A Master Between Italy and France
The Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington D.C. have the pleasure to invite you to the conference “Giuseppe De Nittis: A Master Between Italy and France”. The conference is organized as a complementary event to the exhibition “An Italian Impressionist in Paris: Giuseppe De Nittis” hosted at The Phillips Collection and ope...
South Philadelphia Italian bakery seeks to give back to a family in need
For well over 100 years, the same brick oven has been serving up one simple, but elegant dish, the tomato pie. And, the brick and mortar store is only open 15 days a year. "It was my grandmother that started making it in the Depression era. Tomato pie is a very cheeseless pizza, which on a crust in the big brick oven behind me, is rectangular-shape...