Dick Biondi, the legendary DJ who was the first to play a Beatles record in the US and helped the careers of other rock n’ roll icons, is being honored in a new documentary, THE VOICE THAT ROCKED AMERICA: THE DICK BIONDI STORY, directed, filmed, and narrated by Chicago filmmaker, Pamela Pulice, founder of Reel Stories Productions. The historic Des...

Mario Cervi is the quintessential hard-working Italian immigrant who carved out a life for himself in the Chicago area. He was born in Alvito, a small town outside of Rome. When he was just 5 years old, he lost his father, who went missing in action during World War II. He began working as a barber at age 15, making him the youngest barber in the r...

Mario’s Italian Lemonade is back. The famous shaved ice stand, 1068 W. Taylor St., quietly reopened Monday night, according to its Facebook page. Owners declared Mario’s was “open for summer” as customers lined up for frozen lemonade despite rainy, 40-degree weather. Mario’s has been a mainstay in the neighborhood since 1954, when Mario DiPaolo Jr....

The Four C Notes will celebrate their 10-year anniversary in 2023 with a series of events throughout the Chicago area. The Midwest’s only tribute group dedicated to recreating the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the ensemble was founded by John Michael Coppola, who understudied the role of Frankie Valli for the Broadway hit “Jersey Boy...

Vinitaly debuts in the U.S., which is and remains the top market for Italian wine. It will be Chicago that will hold this debut, October 22-23, 2023 at the city's CineCity Studios, with the partnership between Vinitaly and the International Wine Expo of Chicago. It is a project created to organize a prestigious business-to-business event between It...

Italy is one of the most-visited European countries and an epicenter for culinary travel. Visitors from all over the world flock to Bel Paese for its natural beauty, rich history, warm and welcoming people—and its beloved regional foods and wines.  However, with the confluence of airline flight cutbacks, escalating costs, and a reported surge in re...

After more than three decades of serving red-sauce Italian hits along Grand Avenue, a family-owned restaurant stalwart is beginning an emotional new chapter in West Town. Oggi Trattoria, owned by the Padilla family since its founding in the 1990s, completed its move with a Friday, April 21 debut in a new space at 1461 W. Chicago Avenue. In addition...

Lifelong member  has been elected president of Società Maria SS. di Costantinopoli. Joining him as officers are First Vice President Darrin Bosell, Second Vice President Frank Loconte, Recording Secretary Lucia Maffei, Secretary of Finance Sabina Bosell, Treasurer Vito D’Ambrosio and Sergeant-at-Arms Frank Faso. Faso officially became a member of t...

We’ve survived the winter months and celebrated Easter with its spirit of renewal and rebirth, and the best way to celebrate that spirit is with a procession. It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about the processions of our youth. With the Catholic parishes representing the multiethnic makeup of Roseland, there were many processions held throu...

Three friends with years of experience preparing traditional Italian cuisine are bringing their food to North Center. Riccardo Michi, Massimo Di Vuolo and Carlo Maggi took over the former Parkside, 4356 N. Leavitt St., last fall to transform it into Il Milanese Ristorante. It opened last week. Il Milanese is open 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10:30...