San Antonio’s Westin Riverwalk unveils redesign of its Zocca restaurant, hires new top chef
Downtown's Westin Riverwalk has reopened its Zocca Cuisine D’Italia in completely renovated river-level digs. The restaurant, which specializes in Texas-inspired Italian dishes, also has appointed Ron Mays as its executive chef, according to officials with the hotel chain. After the three-month-long reno, the restaurant now features an indoor-outdo...
Wine Pairing Event Highlights The Flavors Of Italy
Local patrons are invited to explore the art of food and wine pairing as the Lombardi Cucina Italiana hosts an exclusive wine pairing event. The Banfi Wine Pairing Dinner will take place on April 12 at the Lombardi Cucina Italiana in Frisco. The restaurant’s sommelier has carefully selected a Banfi wine to complement each course in the five-course...
University of Arkansas Italian Program to Host Annual Italian American Studies Association Conference
The Italian Program of the U of A will be hosting the 2023 Italian American Studies Association annual conference. The keynote speaker will be Jack Halberstam of Columbia University. We encourage all faculty and graduate students to consider submitting a proposal. Date: Oct. 26-28. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville - Graduate Hotel. Submission D...
Sam Greco's mom prayed to St. Francis for a son. He's now giving the saint's statue to San Antonio.
Sam Greco’s mother was blessed with two daughters and desired a son. After five miscarriages, she prayed to San Francesco di Paola, the patron saint of Italians and Italian-Americans. She said if she could carry a child to full term, she would dress her son as a monk each Sunday for five years. And she did. “She made the promise — like an Italian...
Un Caffè is a One-Stop Shop for Italian-Style Coffee in Houston
A new roastery and coffee bar in Midtown Houston called Un Caffè is giving guests a taste of Italian-style coffee with a distinct focus on craft and performance. Un Caffè Founder, Roaster and Barista Soonkack Kook also embraces the Italian cultural practice of greeting each guest at the bar. “They can watch every [drink-making] performance,” Kook...
IAP 272: we stand on the shoulders. A monument to the Sicilian sugar cane harvesters of Louisiana
Louisiana native Charles Marsala has done a lot to promote the history of Italian life in the Bayou State. From creating hours of documentary videos to a mobile app that provides a free walking tour of over sixty Italian American points of interest in and around the Crescent City, the President of the American Italian Federation of the Southeast n...
Meet the leading ladies of Tony's!
"I intend to go out with a fish in one hand and pasta in another," Tony Vallone once said. His namesake restaurant, Tony's, first opened in Houston in 1965. Over half a century, it grew from a small Italian spot into a fine dining institution. Tony's became a go-to spot for visiting dignitaries and celebrities from across the globe, including sever...
Bryan Museum honors Johnny Carrabba with Buck N' Ball award
Dignitaries, elected officials, bankers and other luminaries from Galveston County and Houston gathered Friday and Saturday to honor restaurateur Johnny Carrabba III as this year’s “Buck N’ Ball” award winner in an event at The Bryan Museum celebrating the Italian-American contribution to Texas history. Teamwork, staying hungry, perseverance and...
Emilia Romagna in Texas to open a new bridge to the U.S.
Emilia-Romagna is in Houston, Texas, to open a new bridge to the United States, where the region's exports have registered +74.6 percent in the last three years and a positive trade balance between exports and imports of more than 9 billion euros.In the great city of Texas - a state that if it were a nation would represent the ninth largest economy...
Amarillo Opera brings a western twist to a timeless tragedy with Verdi's 'Rigoletto'
The Amarillo Opera is putting a western twist on a classic tale including love, fate, revenge and the abuse of power in Verdi's "Rigoletto," set to be performed in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts for one night only, on Saturday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. In the operatic story's traditional language of Italian, local and traveling musicians...
St. Joseph's Day Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
For over 50 years the proud members of the Italian American St. Joseph Society have been marching through the streets of New Orleans in celebration of St. Joseph’s Day… and this incredible event might just be the BEST Italian American weekend in the nation (think Mardi Gras… but for Italian Americans). So grab your fanciest red clothes, because the...
Tosca Italian Gourmet Plans Woodforest Restaurant
Woodforest’s Pine Market will soon welcome another tenant when Tosca Italian Gourmet opens this fall. The first Tosca Italian Gourmet opened in The Woodlands in January 2022. A second location in Cypress is slated to open in the spring. Pine Market will be the restaurant’s third location.“We have many customers who live outside The Woodlands and wh...