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An independent short film that follows a musician as he follows in the footsteps of iconic beat poet Jack Kerouac is receiving praise on the national film festival circuit. Produced by songwriter and first-time filmmaker Dru DeCaro, “Destination Angels” rides along with DeCaro’s longtime friend and fellow musician Christopher Mansfield, aka Fences,...

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When internationally beloved pizzaiolo Gabriele Bonci opened his first U.S. location in 2017 in Chicago, investors and fans of the fabled Roman slices imagined a country with Bonci Pizzerias all across America. Now, six years later, reps are shifting gears saying they’re focusing on expansion within the Chicago area and should next week debut a new...

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Justice may be blind, but Chicago attorney Frank Sommario has a clear-eyed view of his duties as an American attorney of Italian descent. “I want to show that Italian Americans continue to contribute to the legal system in a positive way, despite the stereotypes that our community has endured over the decades,” he says. “It makes you work harder be...

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Upholding his longtime commitment to recognizing the contributions of Italian Americans, State Rep. Anthony DeLuca worked in collaboration with the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans to pass a bipartisan plan to mark every October in Illinois as Italian American Heritage Month. “From exploration to scientific discoveries to entertainment an...

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Windy City crooner Sam Fazio will debut a newly discovered Cubs song before the team’s Aug. 2 matchup with the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. The performance will be part of the pregame entertainment that starts at 6 p.m. on Gallagher Way, right outside of the stadium. Titled “Come Out to Wrigley Field,” the tune was written by Pasquale “P.J.” P...

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No need to travel to Europe for authentic Italian cuisine. Mio Osteria and Mio Trattoria will bring Italian favorites to Edwardsville and Troy within the next few weeks. Mio Osteria, which translates to “my tavern,” will offer sandwiches, steak, fish, pasta dishes and more. The restaurant is slated to open in Edwardsville in three weeks. Mio Tratto...

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The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans honored Vito Gargano at their general meeting on June 27. Gargano, 95, is the former president of the Italian American Federal Club, an organization comprising hundreds of federal employees of the United States Postal Service. Gargano’s career spans more than 40 years in the USPS. He started as a clerk...

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An estimated 3,000 people are expected to pass through the doors of Naperville’s Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church Tuesday for an encounter with the relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina. Francesco Forgione, known as Padre Pio or St. Pio, was an Italian Franciscan Capuchin friar, priest and mystic who was beatified in 1999 and canonized in 2002 by Pop...

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It's a postcard, 80-degree Chicago afternoon as I park my Divvy bike and cross the street to line up at Miko's Italian Ice in Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood. Line chatter considers the more exciting of the dozen-plus flavors on offer: "Ooh, they have hibiscus!" But today I'm craving the tart-sweet classic: lemon ice. The first fluffy spoonful e...

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In a show that joyously traffics in food porn, the Very Special Christmas episode of The Bear oddly features none. Throughout the season 2 flashback episode “Fishes,” the food imagery that exists is often utilitarian, swift, and violent. Meatballs angrily plop into a vat of roiling gravy, lobsters are audibly cracked in half, and a greasy artichoke...

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