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For the second time in four seasons, J McKeown is brushing up on his Italian. Back in 2020, the veteran coach of the West Deptford boys basketball team saw foreign exchange student Antonello Baggi make a huge impact for an Eagles team that went 21-8. Coming into this season, he was happy to welcome in another import from across the pond in junior g...

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It’s not enough that restaurateur and TV producer Franco Porporino already owns the buzziest restaurant in Montclair, Fresco da Franco, a favorite among the Real Housewives of New Jersey. In January, he’ll open Bar Franco, a “bespoke aperitivo bar with a unique, opulent, old-world Harry Cipriani vibe,” adjacent to his Church Street eatery.  “The co...

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The beloved owner of Nasto's Ice Cream Co. passed away on Christmas Day. Frank Nasto Jr., 86, had become an icon in the Garden State for his sweet Italian specialties like spumoni, tortoni, and tartufo, a wide variety of ice creams, and fresh fruit sorbets. While it's a Newark sweet spot, the frozen confections ship nationally, a success made possi...

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Call Me By Your Name Oscar winner James Ivory is behind a new biopic about Italian American pop singer Jimmy Roselli, who was a competitive voice at a time when Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin were dominating. J.D. Zeik, screenwriter of Robert De Niro pic Ronin, has penned the screenplay. Roselli grew up in Hoboken five houses down from...

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Dino Danelli had an amazing creative career. He was born in Jersey City to an Italian American family and by the time he was 17 he had played drums for jazz legend Lionel Hampton then took the train south and ended up playing soul, blues and R & B in New Orleans. He found a band that he liked, convinced them to come back to Jersey and played around...

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Southbound drivers on Route 9 in Berkeley Township are familiar with Bud the Bayville Dinosaur, a movie prop-turned-roadside attraction that watches over Heritage Square shopping center. But there is something new worth stopping for on this stretch of highway: Rich and Maria Panassidi's Cucina Fresca Italian American Specialty Market, which opened...

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The chef who bought a well-known restaurant in Collingswood is preparing a feast for an Italian-American Christmas tradition. Chef Michael DeLone bought Nunzio Ristorante Rustico last year from his mentor, and is bringing the tradition of "The Feast of Seven Fishes" to the Italian BYOB eatery on Restaurant Row. Its namesake, Nunzio Patruno, was...

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Jersey Shore foodies, rejoice: Toms River’s newest restaurant opened its doors last month, touting authentic modern Italian cuisine. Led by New Jersey-based chef Francesco Barbarossa, L’Osteria (1922 Hooper Ave, Unit 1) features rotating seasonal menus of pastas, meats and desserts, with holiday menus now available. A selection of complimentary...

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The holidays are coming, and while people across the United States may end up doing something similar – exchanging gifts, toasting the season with eggnog and eating too much food – there’s no doubt that different parts of the county have different traditions when it comes to Christmas. And in New Jersey, it’s all about the seven fishes, a study cla...

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The holiday season is often a time for people to embrace family traditions that have been passed around for generations. And many of these traditions are centered on food — especially for the Italians in the area. Italian Americans who have roots in the Naples region are probably familiar with the Italian version of honey balls, called struffoli. B...

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