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Dear compatriots and friends of the Italian community in North Carolina, I am honored to assume the role of Honorary Consul of Italy in our state of North Carolina. I look forward to serving you and continuing the impressive work of my colleague Dr. Claudio Carpano, former HC, in supporting a thriving and dynamic Italian community in our state. For...

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Fifteen months after their wedding in January 2006, Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown quit their jobs, put everything they owned into storage, and booked a flight to Europe for what turned into an eight-month backpacking trip. They tracked down members of Tonidandel’s extended family, who lived in small towns near the mountainous northern Italian vil...

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Prepare to “embark on the most affordable trip your mouth will ever take to Italy.” That’s what Cugino Forno promises, an authentic Italian pizzeria planning to open its fifth location in Wilmington in about two weeks. Launched in Greensboro in 2017, Cugino Forno was founded by three cousins: Joseph Ozbey, Adam Aksoy and Yilmaz Guver. Each of the b...

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Ray Romano will star and produce a new film about the extraordinary life of American basketball coach and broadcaster Jim Valvano. The script will be written by Jim Strouse, whose credits include Grace Is Gone and The Winning Season. Romano will produce with game1’s Basil Iwanyk, Greg Economou and Mark Ciardi (The Rookie). The Valvano family will p...

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One pizza place will replace another in the same spot in downtown Gastonia. Mangiamo Pizza will fill the spot of the former Life of Pie at the intersection of West Main Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Life of Pie had been operating at that corner since 2015. Mangiamo Pizza will open in May. "I will continue to do a great job with the piz...

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Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen more restaurant activity in the Bull City as we slowly pull out of the pandemic. And was once old is new again! Take, for example, Lucky’s Delicatessen on W. Chapel Hill Street. A victim of the pandemic, the deli closed but the space ended up transitioning to Alimentari at Mothers and Sons. Which is not a bad thi...

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Duke’s Paolo Banchero is leaping to the NBA after one season as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound freshman announced his decision in a social media video Wednesday, with the school saying he planned to hire an agent. “It has always been a dream of mine to play at Duke, and it has always been a dream of mine to...

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You may have become familiar with Mano Bella Artisan Foods during its time at The City Kitch in University and finding its products at Charlotte farmers markets. And we told you it was going brick-and-mortar. Now, its storefront is finally open for all your Italian grocery needs. The specialty foods business is in a soft opening phase at The Market...

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Little Italy Pizza & Italian Restaurant, a fixture in Rural Hall since 1999, has a new home — just down the street from its old one. Little Italy opened March 30 in a brand-new building at 696 Angus St., at the intersection of Bethania-Rural Hall Road. Owners Margherita Looz and Domenico Borredon said they decided to move out of their rented space...

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It’s estimated that Americans eat 350 slices of pizza every second which breaks down to a whopping 30,240,000 slices per day. Pizza has been in existence since as early as the 18th century and originated in Naples, Italy, which just so happens to be where my ancestors came from. No wonder I love pizza so much. I’m always excited to showcase new piz...

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