New York's Italian Americans relive heartache felt as virus ravaged families overseas
Joseph "Papa Joe" Migliucci was the fourth-generation owner of Mario's, a 101-year-old red-sauce restaurant on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Moe Albanese was known affectionately throughout Manhattan's Little Italy as "Moe the Butcher." Both men - ages 81 and 95, respectively - were among the more than 2,000 New Yorkers who died citywide last week fr...
Where To Shop Like a Chef With the Best Italian Wholesalers
Before they became gourmet goliaths dealing the choicest cuts of meat to Michelin-starred restaurants, many Italian wholesalers started off as a family-owned business, peddling steaks in carts and pastries on bicycles to happy customers. Decades later, as the restaurant industry has come to a halt, wholesalers have returned to retail, offering a ra...
Ian Di Pietro ’23 and family help hospital workers and their business with Feed the Frontlines NYC
Like many of his classmates at the College, Ian Di Pietro ’23 left campus in the middle of March to find his hometown significantly altered. Just as Ian was departing for his home in Manhattan, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared that schools, restaurants and bars in the city would close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This news hit especially close...
Bobby J's Italian American Grille sends food to health care workers
The Desiderio family has been in the restaurant industry since the late 1970s. They work with family and their extended family of staff at Bobby J's Italian American Grille in Cheektowaga. That's why brothers and co-owners Bob and Jay Desiderio sat down with their family to decide how they could help those on the front lines of this crisis. "When w...
Russo’s Coming to Aid of Hospital Workers and First Responders
Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen is rising to the occasion to be there for the communities it serves when it is needed most. As a community ally, Russo’s has always aligned itself with charities and local non-profit organizations, and now it is coming to the aid of hospital workers and first responders who are giving of themselves tirele...
It’s All About Quality with Chef Riccardo Orfino
The first time I met Riccardo Orfino, in the Summer of 2013, he told me that he dreamed of moving to America. At the time, the chef was at the helm of LadyBù’s kitchen – a bistro in Milan and a collaboration between two chefs from both a two-star restaurant and a DOP mozzarella producer. LadyBù’s cheese-centric menu was the answer to all my inner t...
Coronavirus Update: New York clam bar names classic Italian pasta dish after Dr. Fauci
Dr. Anthony Fauci has won praise amongst many Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially by those who live in the Italian community of Island Park. The Fauci linguini at the town's iconic 80-year old Peter's Clam Bar has been flying out of the kitchen -- but for pick-up only, in compliance with Fauci's social distancing recommendations. Acc...
Introducing Single Vineyard Barolo And Barbaresco Wines To The World
In the beginning of February over 200 producers from the Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco DOCG wine appellations in Piedmont, Italy, visited New York City to pour their incredible wines at a once in a lifetime tasting as well as to showcase single vineyard labels and the concept of MGA (a.k.a MeGA) zones that represent these single vineyard notations’ pa...
Where to Order Fresh Italian Groceries from Home in NYC
New Yorkers must stay inside and avoid the grocery store, but thankfully, fresh Italian food remains well within reach. The city’s top Italian food purveyors, from wholesalers to family-run shops, will bring the best of their store to your door (or a neighbor in need.) In addition to Eataly and Teitel Brothers, many neighborhood gems selling pasta,...
Acclaimed Chef Adam Leonti’s New Bread-Filled Restaurant Opens Anyway, as Delivery Only
When restaurateur Paul Shaked and noted chef Adam Leonti teamed up to open Sofia’s Panificio e Vino in Little Italy, the world looked very different. At the time, the neighborhood was bustling with tourists, sidewalk diners, and to-go boxes from nearby Lombardi’s Pizza. It seemed like the perfect place to open Sofia’s, a revamped version of Sofia’s...
Home Delivery: What to Order from Italian Restaurants in NYC
New Yorkers might be staying in, but they don’t have to sacrifice giving up dining in their favorite restaurants. Many of the city’s top Italian eateries have set up delivery services and food pick-up times for their loyal clientele. More good news? NY State just lifted a prohibition-era ban on bars and restaurants so they can provide alcohol for t...
'Quest for the Best Italian Pastry' cancelled because of COVID-19, but a winner still selected
Nothing keeps Joe Laino away from Italian pastries on St. Joseph's Day, not even COVID-19. Observing social distancing edicts in the wake of the coranavirus pandemic, the Annadale resident and his wife, Tricia, were forced to cancel their annual St. Joseph Italian Pastry Taste-Off on Thursday, March 19, instead settling for an intimate party of two...