10 sandwich shops in Portland, Maine (A&C Grocery, Anania’s, Broadway Variety, Corsetti’s, Deb’s, DiPietro’s, Leavitt & Sons; Old Port Sandwich Shop, Otherside Delicatessen, Pat's Meat Deli and Sisters Gourmet Deli) build a 144-foot-long line of sandwiches in Portland’s Monument Square, setting the world record for the World’s Longest Line of Maine...

Portland author Anne Broyles last month published a new picture book to introduce children to the labor movement. “I’m Gonna Paint” tells the story of Italian American painter Ralph Fasanella, who painted large, mural-like images depicting working class people and social movements of the early 1900s. One of Fasanella’s best known pieces is a 45-by-...

The Quanto Basta food truck has officially morphed into a brick-and-mortar restaurant; the Neapolitan-style pizzeria opened in the former LB Kitchen space last Thursday. Located at 249 Congress St., Quanto Basta has seats for 20 customers inside and another 20 on the back patio. The restaurant is dine-in only right now, and is not taking to-go orde...

On Thursday, Portland paid tribute to Evangelista Donatelli, an Italian American who opened up a tailor shop in the city half a century ago. In October, the city council voted to name a section of Congress Street on Munjoy Hill "Donatelli Square." "Donatelli Square" is between North and Lafayette streets, where the shop is located. “It means a lot...

Quanto Basta owner Betsy English has leased the original LB Kitchen location where she plans establish a permanent home for her Neapolitan pizzeria. "If you had told me two years ago that the world’s tiniest little food truck would become an actual pizza place, I’d say you were out of your mind. And perhaps I am..a little..but you kind of have to b...

Strolling through the cobblestone streets and brick buildings of Portland can sometimes make you feel like you are right in Europe. Wander down Wharf Street and you could convince yourself you’re in Bologna. This may elicit a feeling in you that makes you crave some authentic Italian cuisine. We may not be in Europe but we do have cozy and authenti...

The St. Peter’s Italian Bazaar planning committee kicked off a week of festivities on Friday by delivering the Italian national flag to Portland City Hall.  The flag was flown atop City Hall over the weekend, for the first time ever, to mark the 96th annual Italian Bazaar. Willie Audet, 2022 Bazaar chairman, delivered the flag to city official John...

The world has lost a true Portland icon. Famed Portland master baker, artist, author, and teacher Stephen Lanzalotta has passed away after a long battle with cancer. Slab Sicilian Street Food announced the news on social media over the weekend. Stephen had been the head baker/chef and partner at Slab since its opening eight years ago. The news cert...

Evangelista Donatelli,  known to many friends and customers as Vange or Vangie, liked to sit in a white plastic lawn chair on the sidewalk facing Congress Street and wave and talk to people passing by his longtime Munjoy Hill tailor shop. Donatelli, who opened Donatelli’s Custom Tailor Shop in 1972, died on May 16. He was 84. He was a master tailor...

According to New England Today, an Italian immigrant baker named Giovanni Amato decided to create an affordable, convenient, and hearty meal for road construction workers in Portland, Maine in 1899. His creation, a sandwich made from freshly baked rolls filled with sliced meats, melty cheeses, savory veggies, and other toppings, was a hit right awa...