Now on menus across the country, Caesar’s salad is said to have been invented a century ago by an Italian chef in Mexico. According to legend, Caesar Cardini came up with the dish on July 4, 1924, at his restaurant, Caesar’s Place, in Tijuana, Mexico, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Cardini was struggling to feed an influx of Californians who had crossed the border to escape Prohibition, so he threw together the ingredients at hand: whole Romaine leaves with garlic-flavored oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemons, eggs and Parmesan. Tijuana commemorated the anniversary in July with a three-day food and wine festival, and …

West suburban businessman Jack Ross was awarded a Congressional Commendation by U.S. Representative Delia Ramirez on July 9 for his heroic service during the Vietnam War. The owner of Manor Press in River Grove, he was wounded in action while serving as the squad’s point man, receiving two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and an Air Medal for his service. He has emerged as a leader in his community, serving as president of the River Grove Lions Club and a board member for Oak-Leyden Developmental Services and his alma mater, Guerin Prep High School. To view the video, click here. …

The Amerigo Vespucci Lodge 1722 of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America celebrated its 90th anniversary on May 11 at the Quality Inn in Bradley, Illinois. More than 170 guests, including families from across the country, converged on the venue for the occasion. The lodge is based in Kankakee. The event included a fabulous meal, entertainment by the Frank Rossi Trio and dancing into the night. The decorative centerpieces contained copies of the anniversary booklet as well as balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a seasoning blend to be used with the dinner’s rustic bread. Guests were encouraged to take …

A longtime aide to and confidante of the late, beloved Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Monsignor Kenneth Velo has leveraged his local and national connections in the Catholic Church to do a world of good for a host of worthy causes. About a year after being ordained a Catholic priest, then-Fr. Kenneth Velo was enthusiastically helping manage the large parish of St. Angela in Chicago, where he was associate pastor. Fellow churchmen saw something in the new priest and made a seemingly small move that changed the course of Velo’s life. Ordained for only two years, he was elected by his confreres …

Amaseno Lodge No. 3 of Chicago Heights hosted its 50th anniversary Feast of San Lorenzo and San Rocco from Aug. 9-11. The lodge was formed in 1913 by immigrants from Amaseno, a small farming village 60 miles south of Rome. Settling in Chicago Heights’ Hungry Hill Italian enclave, they brought with them a deep devotion to San Lorenzo, an early Christian leader who was martyred for his defiance of the Roman Empire. For decades, the spiritual center of Hungry Hill was San Rocco Church. Built on the highest point in the neighborhood and dedicated in 1906 to another of Amaseno’s …

Cook County Circuit Court Justice Regina Scannicchio has been elevated from acting presiding judge to presiding judge of the Domestic Relations Division by Chief Judge Timothy Evans. Scannicchio was named acting presiding judge on Sept. 23, 2022. She was first appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2011 after 23 years as a private domestic-relations attorney. Elected in 2012 and retained in 2018, she was assigned to the Domestic Relations Division in 2012. During her time as acting presiding judge, she focused on continuing education to keep pace with complex, multidisciplinary legal proceedings routinely heard in the …

Exciting news! Italy is reaching out like never before to reconnect with people of Italian heritage living throughout the world. Dubbed “Italea,” the program promotes “roots tourism” to the descendants of the great Italian diaspora. The local announcement of the program brought together leaders of the Chicago-area Italian-American community through the invitation of Italian Consul General Thomas Botzios; Com.It.Es President Carlo Vaniglia; and Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans President Ron Onesti. The June 14 reception was hosted by the JCCIA in the beautiful private dining room of the Des Plaines Theatre. Flying in to make the presentation was Luigi …

SLYCE Coal Fired Pizza Company now has a fourth location at 5500 N. River Road, inside the Embassy Suites hotel in Rosemont. SLYCE specializes in coal-fired pizzas, whose dough is mixed and fermented daily, and stretched by hand. Each pizza is cooked at more than 800 degrees, “just long enough to produce that classically crisp, leopard-spotted crust with a soft and chewy interior,” the company says. The menu features pizza, including build-your-own, plus salads, soups, chicken wings, sandwiches and desserts such as tiramisu and affogato. A late-night bar offers wine, beer and a variety of liquor. The mother-and-daughter team of …

Supermarkets in Italy are now stocking a new Nutella ice cream, launched in June by the confectionary superpower Ferrero. The ice cream version of the popular hazelnut-chocolate spread follows the 60th anniversary of the introduction of Nutella, which first went on sale in Italy on April 20, 1964. Nowadays, half a million tons of Nutella are sold around the world each year. “At Ferrero, we are always exploring new ways to surprise and delight our consumers, such as offering them the possibility to enjoy the unique taste of our beloved brands in the ice cream format,” a Ferrero spokesperson said. …

Pizza manufacturer Palermo’s is expanding its production capacity by building a nearly 200,000-square-foot production facility in West Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The new facility is located just 3 miles from the company’s headquarters. Groundbreaking is slated this month, with expected completion in June 2025. Palermo’s was founded in 1954 by Gaspare “Jack” Fallucca and his wife, Zina, who immigrated from Italy and opened an Italian bakery on Milwaukee’s East Side. The couple then opened a pizzeria and restaurant in 1969 and went into the frozen-food business in 1979.