Most every month you can find members of the Chicagoland Italian American Professionals getting together for what they call “Italian-Style Networking.” As a recent example, in September they met at the Zen Conference Room in Logan Square to mingle while enjoying delicious arancini, gelato with Italian Amarena cherry syrup and a presentation about Sicily given by CIAP’s founder and president, Salvatore J. Sciacca. “We have a lot of events, some in the suburbs, some in the city, some at people’s homes around the dinner table,” Sciacca says. “But we are always having great food, great Italian food.” Sciacca says they’ve …

A standout high school lacrosse player in New Jersey, John Leone has earned national acclaim for his efforts to rally student-athletes on behalf of the community. John Leone has accomplished a lot for a 17-year-old student-athlete. The 6-foot-4-inch New Jersey native’s stifling defensive stickwork helped lead his varsity high school lacrosse team to its first state title in 11 years. He is also a member of the varsity football team. But it was his off-the-field accomplishments that earned him the prestigious national U.S. Congressional Award Bronze Medal earlier this year. One of the highest civilian honors for youth presented by …

Albert J. Biancalana Jr. started working at his father’s restaurant in Elmwood Park in 1957. Over the course of the next six decades and his brothers came to run the business, overseeing its growth and evolution into a legendary banquet hall that they sold in 2019. All the while, Biancalana has been involved in Elmwood Park and the surrounding community through organizations and local government – even today at 86-years-old. In recognition of his dedicated service, Biancalana will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the West Central Municipal Conference on Oct. 24 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont …

A capacity crowd watched the Italian national team dominate its American counterpart during recent tournament play in the Chicago area. Italian volleyball fans in the Chicago area were delighted this summer to watch firsthand as the Italian national men’s team took on Team USA at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates. The crowd was near the arena’s capacity of 11,218 and while the vast majority were wearing red, white and blue, there was a small but mighty contingent of fans supporting Team Italy. A few Italy fans waved the Tricolore and sang along to “Inno di Mameli” during the national anthems …

Jim Tinaglia, an architect with a long history of community service, was voted in as mayor of Arlington Heights this spring. When people ask him what it’s like to be mayor, he says that he always tells them his job is 90% wonderful. “People have been so respectful, decent, optimistic and kind,” Tinaglia says. “The 10 percent is the scary part because there are surprises here and there you have to be ready for. People get unhappy and there are situations that come up that you can’t plan for.” It’s his job to be as level-headed, transparent and middle-of-the-road as …

We owe you one. In fact, we owe you so much more than that. When we asked you in July to help us raise $28,000 to technologically transform Fra Noi, we knew what it would cost to make the leap but we only dreamed we’d be able to cover it with a single crowdfunding campaign. Two months and more than 250 contributions later, we’ve not only met our lofty goal but also exceeded it because of your astonishing generosity. In sums large and small, your contributions surged in like a strong backwind. The grand total billowed beyond $30,000, with more …

As they have for 105 years, the members of the San Rocco di Simbario Society will embark on a five-and-a half-hour procession through the streets of Chicago’s Chinatown to honor the patron saint of their ancestral hometown. In the process, they’ll be celebrating their Catholic faith and maintaining a tradition now entering its fifth generation. “It’s based on devotion, it’s religious, spiritual and it’s about family,” says Frank Bertucci, the society’s treasurer. “My daughter told me, as we walk through the streets of the old neighborhood, it’s like a walking family reunion. We see people we’re related to and even …

The granddaughter, daughter and youngest sibling of talented rowers, Christina Salvi is carving out a place for herself in the sport. The New Trier High School Freshman Girls crew battled choppy waters, fended off fierce competitors and ultimately won a gold medal at the top rowing tournament in the country on May 24 at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America’s Championship Regatta. The event was hosted on the Cooper River in New Jersey, just a few miles east of Philadelphia. Christina Salvi, one of a team of eight rowers guided by a coxswain, says that before the final race the …

The Calabresi in America Organization has elected Gina Badagliacca to serve as its 2025-2026 president, and the longtime member couldn’t be more thrilled to helm the vibrant organization. “I think everything about the club is great,” she says. “The functions are exciting, the people are amazing and there are lifelong friendships that we create.” Badagliacca’s parents, Francesco and Rosaria Spizzirri, were both members pretty much since the group was launched, she says, noting that she has been involved since she was a teenager, stepping up her participation after her father passed away three years ago. “He has a lot to …

A standout basketball player from middle school through college, Jill Pizzotti’s lifelong desire to lead from the sidelines propelled her to the pinnacle of the collegiate world when she was tapped to helm DePaul’s women’s team. Jill M. Pizzotti, who will begin her first season as head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons women’s basketball team this fall, knew from a young age that she wanted to go into coaching. “Besides loving the sport of basketball, I just think I’ve been inspired by the coaches I had over the years,” Pizzotti says. “I thought they were great people.” When Pizzotti …