I keep a sesame biscotto in my freezer that is now going on 14 years old. It was from the last batch made by my Nonna, and somewhere in my mind if that petrified rock of lemon-scented flour, oil, sugar and eggs still exists, so does she.   On my mother’s side of the family, we are Sephardic Jews from Sicily. We were there 2,000 years ago when Greek...

There are a handful of foods that people from Maine recognize as signature items from their state. Whether that be a red snapper, blueberry pie or a simple but delicious Italian sandwich. Credit for that Italian sandwich is given to Giovanni Amato. More than 120 years ago, he opened a sandwich shop with the idea of serving something quick and easy...

One day, Peter Ariola Jr. — third-generation owner of Long Island pastry business Ariola Bakery — had an idea: What if he took the broken shells of his cannoli and transformed them into candy bars? They had used the shells in a cheesecake before, so there was a precedent, but he was after a more portable and shelf-stable format. “When you fill a ca...

Though the area is very touristy these days, there still exists a certain kind of Italian restaurant there that I’ve grown to love, and that many others have, too. These are small, intimate, unflashy places that put a pure, uncut focus on the food. Chances are, the chefs are more like cooks, working every day with little fanfare, and the decor and...

In 1956, Joe Barraco Sr. opened a grocery store at 2919 Bryan St. in Dallas, which along with Jimmy’s Food Store was part of Dallas’ Little Italy with bakeries, cleaners, florists and the like – all Italian. After many successful years in the grocery business, the Barraco family decided to expand their passion for food by opening the original Prego...

Is there anything more quintessentially Italian than the meatball? Definitely. But for Little Italy’s annual Meatball Crawl, this tasty sphere is the star of the area’s esteemed cuisine. The annual Taste in Little Italy Meatball Crawl & Wine Tasting, hosted by Cleveland Montessori School, is a fundraising effort to provide scholarships and other op...

There’s a gorge between what we consider Italian-American food and the cucina italiana that we know today, but there’s a throughline that connects the sauces and stews of the casalinghe of the old world and the red-sauce kitchens of the Little Italys throughout the United States. This bridge runs through the famous cookbooks that have influenced Am...

Bishop Arts screams Lucia which has beckoned food lovers with its promise of handmade pasta and an extraordinary salumi selection. Nestled among the lively streets and eclectic shops, Lucia is more than just a restaurant; it is a celebration of Italian culinary artistry, anchored by the skilled hands of Chef David Uygur. While the menu at Lucia cha...

A new independent bookstore and bistrot has landed in Greenwich Village, joining a number of up-and-coming book bars in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Helmed by Francesca Rizzi and her husband Rodolfo Tonello, along with their eldest son, Fulgi Tonello, Sullaluna NYC distinguishes itself with a focus on illustrated books for children and adults in English...

While new pizza joints have proliferated in North Brooklyn, one mainstay just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Fornino (849 Manhattan Ave.), a local pizza spot founded by Brooklyn native Chef Michael Ayoub, has served pizza and Italian cuisine to North Brooklyn for two decades. Chef Ayoub opened Fornino, named after his mother, in Williamsburg and...