What's A Lupini Bean? A Superfood Entrepreneur Shares His Tips For Selling An Unfamiliar Product
By Robin D. Schatz Aaron Gatti first got introduced to lupini beans as a kid during his frequent visits to see his father's family in Italy. "I didn't know even what they were, just that I couldn't stop eating them," he told me. But it wasn't until three years ago, when he introduced his wife, Alenna, to the meaty yellow beans during an I...
Antonio Ciongoli's Eidos Brings Italian Luxury to American Streets
"People talk about how it's hard to mix Italian and American, but I think it's easy," says Anotonio Ciongoli, the 31-year old creative director of Eidos. Sitting back in his chair in Eidos's midtown showroom, surrounded by phalanxes of suits, Ciongoli--bearded, irrepressibly jovial--is the young pontifice presiding over the marriage of an unlikely,...
Great American-Italian slices, strands, sweets
WHEN it comes to Italian food, the first few dishes that come to mind are pepperoni pizzas, garlic bread, chicken Parmesan, and the like. But what most people don't know is that these dishes are actually American-Italian hybrid dishes, created by Italian immigrants who used ingredients available in the United States to do their cooking. In Cebu, w...
Amanda Beagle's Italian-American Songbook CD
by Amanda Beagle I truly believe that one of the keys to success in life is appreciating where you come from! The granddaughter of Italian immigrants, I grew up in Northeast Ohio where Italian-American music and culture enriches the region. I am passionate about the Italian music tradition and want to keep it alive for future generations t...
Filmmaker Laurence Vannicelli: the new Fellini?
By Valerio Viale Why am I comparing up-and-coming, Italian-American filmmaker, Laurence Vannicelli to Federico Fellini, the most celebrated Italian auteur of all times? Well, because the source of inspiration for Laurence's upcoming film, La Certa - set in the surroundings of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo region of Italy – is the same as Federico's. T...
Joseph N. Grano, RIP
We are deeply saddened to report the passing of Joseph N. Grano, an icon of the Italian American community in Washington and more. The Washington Post identified him as a "Godfly." Joe was born and raised in the Bronx, the son of immigrants from near Cosenza, Calabria. Joe graduated from St. John's University (Queens, NY) and received his...
The Eternal Italian American Debate: ‘Gravy’ or ‘Sauce’
by James Pasto In the first chapter of her excellent and enjoyable book "Gravy Wars," Lorraine Ranalli states that the term gravy is "unique" to South Philly Italians. By "gravy" she means what most people call "sauce" — that tomato-ey stuff that goes on pasta. I met Lorraine a few years ago when she was at a reading with Lisa Cap...
KIT Online Auction Open! Live Event Coming Soon!
The online portion of Festa di Natale is now open. The auction will run from to December 16, 2015, with the live event taking place on December 16, 2015. Proceeds go to Kairos Italy Theater in order to support. Auction items range from exotic vacation getaways to donated items guaranteed to delight and surprise. So, tell your friends, family, commu...
Lady Gaga Accepts Woman of the Year Award at Billboard Women in Music: Read Her Full Speech
With a 2016 Grammy nomination, a Golden Globe nomination and a plethora of other accomplishments throughout her firecracker-bright career, Lady Gaga accepted the honor as Woman of the Year at Billboard's Women in Music 2015. Mother Monster expressed endless gratitude to her family -- and to those who did not believe in her for fueling the fire nece...
Scientists Say Coffee Is So Magical, It Can Even Undo Liver Damage
By Clint Rainey Keep it coming. Photo: Jose Luis Stephens/Masterfile/CorbisGreat news: The benefits of coffee are so plentiful that a new study has linkeddrinking two extra cups per day to a 44 percent drop in the risk of developing cirrhosis, an awful liver disease brought on by too much booze. Researchers at England's Southampto...
How to help: the Italian American fundraisers to help Italy after the earhquake
We the Italians is setting up a page promoting all the different initiatives that are starting to raise funds to help Italy after the terrible earthquake of August 24. Please write us at info@wetheitalians.com if you know of any activity not yet listed here. This is a work in progress. To donate, please click on the logo of the institution bel...
Michael White Writes the Book on Italian Cuisine
by Catherine Sabino Michael White, the darling of food critics at home and abroad, has often been described as the future of Italian gastronomy, thanks to the spectacular inventiveness he brings to modernizing the world's most popular cuisine. In early November, White releases Classico e Moderno: Essential Italian Cooking (Ballant...