Close

The Italian American Festival Foundation will award $8,000 in scholarships to Stark County high school graduates of Italian American heritage. The Italian American Festival Foundation Inc. of Stark County will award $8,000 in college scholarships for the 2018 school year. This is the 32nd consecutive year the foundation will award scholarships. To...

1144

She’s the founder of a food startup that got its big break in the North Market. The author of an award-winning cookbook. The creator of a brand with a clear point of view and aesthetic. And she possesses a world-beating confidence in her vision and her team. Sound familiar? With apologies to Jeni Britton Bauer, we’re actually describing Cara Mangin...

982

Marco's Pizza, the nation's fastest-growing pizza franchise, announced today the promotion of Chief Operations Officer Tony Libardi to President, effective as of the first of the year. The move comes at a pivotal time as the brand rapidly approaches the opening of its 1,000th store and celebrates its 40thanniversary year. Libardi, a firm believer i...

1287

After a 10-year hiatus, one of the greatest operas in the repertoire returns to the stage of the Valentine Theatre next weekend as the Toledo Opera Association brings Giuseppe Verdi’s masterwork Rigoletto to life. Considered by many to be Verdi’s finest work, Rigoletto is a story of lust, betrayal, and la maledizione — “the curse.”  The opera, firs...

786

The cozy Lakewood restaurant offers pizzas, pastas and house-made gelato. You don’t need to be a master of the English language to understand how Americans like to eat.  For Gonzalo Egozcue, the Uruguay-born owner of Molto Bene in Lakewood, all it takes is an appreciation for good food, good people and a good attitude. “I have to think in Spanish a...

537

I never considered running for office. In fact, over the past 10 years or so when friends would suggest it, and I would jokingly respond, “I wouldn’t pass the vetting process!” My doubt wasn’t in my background, and it certainly wasn’t in my desire to serve people. But having never run for political office, I questioned my patience to actually parti...

692

Located in a tiny strip-mall on Memphis Avenue, Aldo's isn't the kind of restaurant that makes you stop and take notice from the outside. Step inside, and it's another story. The aromas and warm, welcoming atmosphere will instantly win you over. And that's before you even try Aldo's fantastic, wide-ranging Italian menu. Opened more than two decades...

1568

I thought I’d move past all the new year hoopla by visiting someplace old that brazenly flaunts an old-school bent, too: Enrico’s Pizza & Restaurant. Here’s how old-school Enrico’s is: The only beer offered on tap is Bud Light, and it’s $8.50 a pitcher. Tucked away in the inevitable suburban strip mall, Enrico’s — which has been in the homemade pas...

1343

In the Mahoning Valley, there’s a layer of fine coal dust that overlays Italian American history. To retrace the time when Italians first arrived, head north on Youngstown’s Belmont Avenue and you’ll soon find yourself on Route 193. In Liberty Township, not far from where the highway crosses Churchill Road, stood Church Hill and its coal camp. The...

839

Umberto P. Fedeli plays to win. It doesn’t matter if he’s functioning as president and CEO at The Fedeli Group, as a board member at the Cleveland Clinic or as a trusted confidant who has been asked by a friend for help. It’s the way he approaches every facet of his life. “It’s ultimately about performance,” Fedeli says. “I have no interest in gett...

1599