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An Omaha state senator honored the late owner of an iconic Italian restaurant in the city Friday at the Nebraska Legislature. Most knew her as Grandma Malara, who founded the business that bears her name near 22nd and Pierce 39 years ago. She died this month at age 87. Caterina Malara simply loved to cook, Italian food, to be exact, of which she ha...

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Family-owned and still going strong 100 years later is rare after decades of consolidation in the baking industry. The Rotellas understand they’ve gotten lucky with each generation’s dedication to carry on the family business.  “Some restaurants we do business with, it’s over by the second generation because they don’t have the same fervor and dete...

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Rotella’s Italian Bakery, La Vista, Neb., has seen continued growth and demand for bread, buns and rolls over a 100-year history. The Rotellas attribute their success to two things: quality product and excellent customer service.  “Quality and service is everything; if you skimp on that, you’re losing,” said Lou Rotella Jr., president and chief exe...

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The opera program in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music will go on tour in Nebraska with three performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata” in March in Ord, Lincoln and Scottsbluff. “La Traviata” is one of the most beloved theatrical works of all time, combining a romantic story with memorable music. Verdi’s vibrant...

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Union Omaha announced today the signing of defender Marco Milanese, pending league and federation approval. Milanese reunites with assistant coach Kevin Nuss, who he played under in his time with the USL League Two side Ocean City Nor'easters. The Isernia, Italy native has spent time with multiple landmark Italian clubs, including S.S.C. Napoli U-1...

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Seeking new members, the Chautauqua Italian American Organization (CIAO) tried to think outside the box with a recent community activity. But instead, it’s what was inside the box that got everyone’s attention. Steve Spears, owner of Dunkirk Homebrew Supplies, was welcomed by CIAO to teach a class on making homemade wine, including a lecture and a...

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On a distant Italian island whose roots are shared by thousands of Omahans of Sicilian descent is a new and elaborate park carved into a cliffside: Parco Omaha. Also in that Sicilian town of Carlentini, a visiting Omaha artist is busy creating a podcast series expected not only to spotlight native treasures but also spark business and civic exchang...

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Luca Guadagnino surveys the life and work of luxe Italian footwear designer Salvatore Ferragamo in “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams,” which opens at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Dec. 2. “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” tells the story of Salvatore Ferragamo who grew up poor in Bonito, Italy, and began his c...

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"Nebraska: where the West begins" was a tourism slogan referring to the fact that the Cornhusker State (the name comes from the way corn, the state's main product, was commonly harvested, by "husking" it by hand) occupies the central portion of the Frontier Strip, that unbroken border line that bisects the United States from north to south, startin...

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Omaha businessman Lance Brown wanted to help his sister move back to their hometown. Their mom lives here. So does his sister’s granddaughter. And his sis, Jamie Uphoff of Las Vegas, has been away for 25 years. Brown, a former Nebraska football player, started to seek opportunities for Uphoff and her husband, Tony, who have longtime careers in the...

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