After a more than 2-year hiatus, “Cabaret Queen” will perform the timeless music of the Great American Songbook back by a 17-piece orchestra at 3 p.m. on Nov. 8 at the Des Plaines Theatre. “Denise Tomasello in Concert: Celebrating Decades of Music and I’m Still Here,” will highlight songs in the tradition of Sinatra, Bennett, Streisand, Minnelli and Garland. Known for her glamorous and glitzy, Las Vegas-style performances, Tomasello has headlined for the likes of Jackie Mason, Don Rickles and Alan King at iconic Chicago venues, as well as top spots in New York and Las Vegas. For more, …

The documentary short “Bob Dole — A Walk Through History” will premiere at several locations throughout November. The film explores the World War II military service, life, legacy and historical impact of former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, focusing on his time with the 10th Mountain Division in Italy’s Apennine Mountains. It features original music by composer Alessandro Moro. Admission is free. Screenings will be held at the Des Plaines Theatre, te Arcada Theatre, Chicagoland Veterans Campus & Museums, Park Ridge Public Library and the Chicago History Museum. To view the trailer, click here. For more on the Arcada viewing, click …

Our Good Vibes feature spotlights websites, blogs, videos and podcast from around the world that celebrate Italy’s inimitable spirit. If you have a favorite online offering you’d like to share, send it to info@franoi.com. For more, follow us on Facebook. Geraci channels early rock greats with this pot boiler Harkening back to the days of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, Anthony Geraci leads this group of top East Coast musicians on a journey back to in time to good old rock ’n’ roll with this rendition of “Hand You our Walking Shoes.” Laying down a boogie-woogie beat on piano, …

Rising vocal stars Some of Chicago’s best young singers will perform Italian arias and art songs by iconic composers at the 50th anniversary edition of the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia’s Vocal Scholarship Awards Dinner and Concert. The event will start at 2 p.m. on Nov. 1 in the Casa Italia Community Center and feature a wine and cheese reception, concert and dinner. At press time, scholarship commitments have been made by the LiPuma and Turano families, Fabrizio and Elizabeth Devetak and the Italian American Executives of Transportation. Italian Cultural Center Librarian Dominic Candeloro will receive a Lifetime Achievement …

The Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago inaugurated its new offices at 150 N. Michigan Ave. with a grand opening on Sept. 22. The institute had occupied its previous location at 500 N. Michigan Ave. since its founding more than 40 years ago. “This relocation sets us in even closer proximity to the heart of Chicago’s cultural center and enhances our visibility and opportunities to interact and collaborate with the people and organizations of Chicago,” says Chiara Avanzato, director of the institute. A highlight of the evening was the first U.S. performance of the Italian singer/songwriter duo Colapesce Dimartino, best known …

The Italian American Women’s Club of Northwest Indiana pulled out all the stops for its first-ever Cuori Aperti (Open Hearts) Award. Members sold tickets and home-baked desserts, secured sponsorships, and organized raffles and auctions on the road to raising $10,000 to be bestowed on a local charity. Non-profit organizations nominated by IAWC members made presentations at a June meeting, with members voting to select the recipient. The $10,000 award went to top vote-getter Safe Haven Baby Boxes. The award was presented on Sept. 9. “The Cuori Aperti Award reflects the club’s commitment to Italian heritage, fellowship and giving back to …

The National Italian American Foundation has awarded Casa Italia a $2,500 grant to support Casa volunteer Olivia Greco’s initiative, Saving Italian American Stories. The grant request was written by fellow Casa volunteer Carla Simonini, co-founder of Passaggi d’Italia, LLC. “The funds will help to develop the project’s digital presence and programming aimed at documenting, preserving and sharing Italian-American family histories and personal stories,” Simonini explains. “A portion of the grant will support our family history writing workshops, and help us expand outreach and encourage participation from a broader cross-section of the Italian-American community;” Central to the initiative is the website …

The menu of Osteria Trulli in Arlington Heights, in suburban Chicago, celebrates authentic Pugliese cooking, including house-made pastas and seafood dishes that reflect the simplicity and flavors of southern Italy. Chef and owner Giovanni DeNigris opened the eatery at 1510 E. Hintz Road a decade ago, after relocating from Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. “I wanted to do food from my land, my region, where I grew up with my mother and my grandmother,” DeNigris told the Daily Herald. DeNigris said he sources food from Puglia as much as possible, including extra-virgin olive oil, burrata, some pasta and wine. If he …

Buona Beef opened THE BEEF STAND at 1750 W. Division St. in Chicago in September, offering an old-school way to experience one of the most traditional food rituals in Chicago: walk up, order an Italian beef and enjoy. While the pop-up is new, its inspiration goes back generations. Before Joe and Peggy Buonavolanto opened the first Buona restaurant in Berwyn in 1981, Joe’s brother Carl “Uncle Junior” Buonavolanto and his brother-in-law Tony Ozzauto opened Chicago’s well-known beef stand, Mr. Beef. Operating out of a walk-up window at the Original Rainbow Cone Shop, THE BEEF STAND will remain open through the …

Tievoli Pizza Bar celebrated an extraordinary performance at the Real California Pizza Challenge, held in August in Anaheim, California, where owner and chef Giovanni Labbate and his son Rocco Labbate competed against pizza makers from across the country. The eatery is located at 44 W. Palatine Road in Palatine, in suburban Chicago. The Tievoli team returned home with four first-place awards (pizza in the pan, fastest pizza maker, fastest box folder, largest dough stretch) and one second-place finish for gluten-free pizza. Rocco captured first place in the pizza in the pan competition with his Detroit-style creation, “Cluck Around and Find …