An Italian teacher and administrator in northwest suburban High School District 214, Angela Briguglio Hawkins was known as “the American” when she was growing up in Sicily. That’s because she was born in Oak Park, but her parents decided to move the family back to their native Sicily when Briguglio Hawkins was two-and-a-half years old. They missed...
READ MOREWe are pleased to announced the 2017 Columbus Day Parade will be Monday, October 9, 2017 on State Street. Thank you to everyone who celebrated the 2016 Columbus Day Parade with us. The parade can be viewed here on ABC7’s website. For nearly half a century, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans has sponsored Chicago’s Columbus Day celebrati...
READ MORE“I grew up in the kitchen. I didn’t walk in the front door of the restaurant, I walked in the kitchen door.” Gabriela Littleton has a little more skin in the game as director of banquets and private dining at Chicago steakhouse staple the Erie Cafe. To be exact, she has four generations worth, having spent the past two years working in concert with...
READ MOREThe Italo American National Union Foundation has published a cookbook titled “Let’s Eat: From Our Kitchen to Yours,” featuring 466 recipes provided by IANU members as well as family and friends. To purchase a copy, make out a check or money order to the IANU Foundation for $18 a copy (shipping and handling included) and mail it to IANU Foundation c...
READ MOREThe Franklin Park salumeria that taught Chicago how to pronounce the spicy spreadable Calabrian sausage known as "'nduja" is opening an Italian restaurant, deli and shop in West Town. Tempesta Market, from the father-son duo behind 'Nduja Artisans, will debut in early or midsummer at 1372 W. Grand Ave. "We needed a place to showcase our products wh...
READ MOREWhen: Thursday, March 16, 2017 from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM (CDT) - Where: Italian Cultural Institute, 500 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1450, Chicago, IL 60611 For thousands of years the Mediterranean Sea has been an integral part of life for peoples overlooking it: both a division and a means of encounter. Nowadays it hasn't lost its unique characteristic, se...
READ MOREFor the seventh consecutive year, Navy Pier will proudly host Neighborhoods of the World, a free seven-week series that celebrates the rich tapestry of Chicago’s diverse communities. (navypier.com/neighborhoods-world) Under the auspices of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, the culture, food and cra...
READ MOREThe Italian American Executives of Transportation held their 2016 Dinner Dance at Alta Villa Banquets on Nov. 19. More than 500 were in attendance, making it was once again one of the largest dinner dances of the year. The IAET honored Sam Cicinelli as Man of the Year. Sam is the leader of the largest mechanics’ union in the country. An IAET member...
READ MOREThe 2017 Dante/Mazzei Awards – Thursday, May 18, 2017 at Galleria Marchetti. Each year, the Human Relations Committee presents the coveted Dante Award to a member of the local news media who has answered Dante Alighieri’s call to be “no timid friend to truth.” Past recipients have been Irv Kupcinet, John Madigan, Hugh Hill, Dick Kay, Joan Esposito,...
READ MOREThe Polenta Bar takes the assembly-line/fast-casual concept and spins it with a fresh Northern Italian twist. The polenta-focused restaurant opens on Thursday at 1002 W. Lake St. It’s a novel idea that looks like a unique meal option in the West Loop, which is slated to be open for lunch and dinner. Ownership touts their polenta machines that are i...
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