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by Nick Kindelsperger   The Italian beef stands out rightly as one of Chicago's most distinctive hometown sandwiches, a mess of gravy-soaked meat which should arrive topped with pickled giardiniera and roasted peppers.   As great as the sandwich can be, most versions are built on soft and soulless rolls that offer little flavor of the...

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"We hear a lot about change these days: climate change, change of pace, change is good," says Marcia Piemonte, director of events at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii. "For the last several years, Mother Nature has made the weekend of our Festa di Tutti i Santi one of her hottest and stormiest of the summer. This year, a decision was made to change...

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The Greater Rockford Italian American Association will hold its annual Hall of Fame and Special Recognition Award Banquet at 6 p.m. Oct. 10 at Cliffbreakers Riverside Resort, 700 W. Riverside Blvd. The event will honor Rockford-area Italian Americans who have made significant contributions to the Italian-American community and will feature a socia...

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by Michael Sewall   Although the Bolingbrook Rosati's Pizza is an offshoot of the company celebrating 50 years in business, it still shares in the history that goes back about a century—all thanks to Ferdinand Rosati, who ditched New York in the early 1900s for the more favorable pizza haven in Chicago.   Ferdinand, an Italian immigra...

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The Sons of Italy will serve up their usual assortment of food, games and music this weekend at the annual Summer Italian Festival. Organized by the Order Sons of Italy in America Geneva Lodge 2397, the festival runs from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with bands and bar service through midnight.   "There's going to be lots of food, band...

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by Ann Piccininni   The clientele at Tony Spavone's Ristorante in Bloomingdale is a devoted group. "We have people who have been coming since I opened up," said Spavone, who unveiled the 260-seat restaurant at 266 W. Lake St. 31 years ago. He said he's seen more than a few customers start out in high chairs, move up to wedding rehearsal...

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The recent flurry of Italian restaurant openings (Nico Osteria, Eataly, Cicchetti, Azzurra) has us thinking about some of our favorite classic Italian foods. Namely, sfogliatelle.   A successful sfogliatella—the clamshell-shaped, baked ricotta–filled pastry associated with Naples—is a creature borne of patience and balance. Producing its cru...

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by Ceasar Maragni   Another Herrin Festa Italiana is in the books and thanks to great weather, hundreds of hard working volunteers and thousands of southern Illinoisans who know a good time when they see one, it was another successful festival. The five-day fair concluded Monday evening with the final of five straight nights of power packed...

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The newly crowned Little Mister Italian Fest said there's one change he would like to make to his title. "Leave out the 'little' thing," he said. "I'm 8 years old, come on." Andrew Hilmes, 8, was the oldest contestant in this year's Little Miss and Mister Italian Fest pageant, held Saturday. Gabriella Hill, 7, won the title of Little Miss Ital...

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by Marco Valsania   Italian companies took center stage yesterday at the FMI Connect, one of the leading food and beverage B2B fairs in the United States. Italy was named host country at the three-day event in Chicago, that brings together 900 sellers from all over the world and thousands of buyers from large American supermarket chains. &n...

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