Essex County Honors Local Italian-Americans During Heritage Month
A longtime local union leader was among those honored as part of Essex County’s 2017 Italian Heritage Month Celebration. Bloomfield native and Bloomfield High alum Joseph Calabro, a father of two, has been a “dynamic and influential labor leader” with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), according to a news release from Essex...
Safilo Opens New North American Headquarters
Safilo Group, the parent of Smith Optics, celebrated the official opening of its new Safilo North American headquarters in Secaucus, NJ, replacing the historical Parsippany, N.J. location. The new office will work as one team with the closely located New York Fifth Avenue Global Design Studio and Showroom. Safilo has been present in the U.S. sin...
Mangia Organica officially opens on Restaurant Row in Bloomfield Center
Mangia Organica owner Valentino La Rosa and business partner Andrew Martino were joined by Township Administrator Matthew Watkins, Mayor Michael Venezia, Ella Venezia, and friends for the ribbon cutting and official opening of Mangia Organica on Bloomfield Center's Restaurant Row on Glenwood Avenue Thursday night. La Rosa describes the restaurant...
The best margherita pizzas in the D.C. area, ranked
The margherita is not just a pizza. It’s a litmus test. Limited to dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella, salt, basil and olive oil, a margherita instantly reveals a pizzeria’s commitment to the art of the pie. A margherita forgives no shortcut. Is your dough dry and devoid of flavor? Are you too cheap to buy San Marzano tomatoes grown in the volcanic so...
Popular New Jersey chef looks to Hilton Head for newest restaurant
A noted Italian chef from New Jersey has submitted an application to renovate a building on Hilton Head Island so he can turn it into a restaurant. Nunzio Patruno has seen wide success with Nunzio Ristorante Rustico, which opened in 2003 has been reviewed by The New York Times among others. Hilton Head’s Ombra Cucina Rustica Chef Michael Cirafesi a...
Oliva in Bethlehem delivers Italian with a savory Mediterranean twist
When Riad Aamar sees a recipe would like to try, he just can’t himself. He has to put his own spin on the dish. You see, that is what makes his dishes special and provides him the proverbial joy of cooking. “I like adding or changing the recipe to come up with a new way of cooking the dish, making it my own taste,” he says, as he and his wife and b...
Mamma Mia Focacceria celebrates Italian flavors
New Jersey and Italian food go together like peanut butter and jelly - or better yet, spaghetti and meatballs. You don't have to go far to find chicken parmesan, penne alla vodka or linguini with clams. But what about the dishes that are specific to a particular region of Italy, the recipes Italian grandmothers brought from the old country when the...
South Plainfield Celebrates Columbus Day with Ceremony at Senior Center
On the morning of Monday, October 9th, residents of South Plainfield joined public officials and other dignitaries outside of the South Plainfield Senior Center to celebrate Columbus Day with a special ceremony put on by the Plainfields’ Chapter of UNICO. The program was emceed by retired South Plainfield High School Principal Dr. Kenneth May. “I b...
Ceremony marks Norristown Columbus Monument’s 25th anniversary
The 25th anniversary of the Christopher Columbus Monument at Elmwood Park was celebrated Thursday with lots of singing, reminiscences and, of course, an Italian culinary feast. A ceremony held next to the recently refurbished monument-fountain that pays homage to the Italian explorer’s 15th- century voyage to the New World was highlighted by rendit...
Sons of Italy Receive Proclamation and Key to the City
The Sons of Italy received a Proclamation from the Mayor of Parsippany and a Key to the City on Columbus Day, October 9, 2017. The Sons of Italy were recognized for their unselfish service to the community and for making a positive and dramatic difference in the town of Parsippany. Here is a copy of the proclamation: Township of Parsippany-Troy H...
Comedian Vic Dibitetto heads to Borgata
WHERE AND WHEN: BORGATA’S MUSIC BOX // 9 P.M. FRIDAY, OCT. 20WHO IS HE: Vic Dibitetto is a stand-up comedian originally from Brooklyn, who first received notoriety in 1991 when he won the grand prize on “America’s Funniest People.” For years Dibitetto worked as a school bus driver, doing comedy on the side until 2013 when his YouTube video “Bread a...
Creating A Future: Trigiani about writing, reading and "Big Stone Gap"
Despite its spot in front of a huge crowd buzzing with excitement for author Adriana Trigiani’s talk Thursday at Patrick Henry Community College, the podium remained empty. Instead, after an impressive introduction by Dean of Academic Success and Student Transfer Terry Young, a woman’s voice boomed out from behind the audience. She quipped that it...