Giovanni Labbate, owner of Tievoli Pizza Bar in Palatine, triumphed in the “plant-forward” category of the 5th annual Real California Pizza Contest. The competition pitted 12 professional chefs against each other in a quest for the most innovative pizzas, Food Industry News reported. Labbate took home a $5,000 prize for his “Sunset in Sonoma” recipe, featuring a garlic-confit cream sauce, sharp California cheddar, purple potato slices, caramelized onions and mushrooms. Tievoli, at 44 W. Palatine Road, has a menu with 13 types of wood-fired pizza, along with salads, pasta, sandwiches and panzerotti. For more, click here.

The Sons and Daughters of Italy in America will host its second annual Carnevale di Venezia from noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 4 at Empress Banquets in Addison. Dubbed “La Commedia dell’Arte,” this year’s celebration will feature antipasto and dessert buffets; a family-style spaghettata; live entertainment, including acrobats and costumed performers; dancing; and more. Tickets are $75 and sponsorships are available. Reservations are required by Jan. 27. (president.sadia@gmail.com)

It may come as a surprise to Italian Americans living in the northern half of the Chicago area, but the far southwest suburbs boast substantial communities of paesani as well. “Mokena’s population is the highest and Homer Glen has a large one as well,” reports longtime local elected official Steve Balich. “Joliet and Crest Hill have good-sized populations, too, and so does Lockport and a couple of the neighboring suburbs.” Balich and others formed the Will County Italian American Association last summer to rally their compatriots around each other and their culture. “We started the group to support our heritage …

Marcial Bereciartu, owner of the newly opened Strapoli Pizza in Chicago, grew up in Venezuela, where he was inspired by his parents’ belief that one can work, not just for money, but also to have fun with family, serve the community and make good pizza. That’s what Bereciartu intends to do with Strapoli Pizza, 545 W. Diversey Parkway, which serves Neapolitan-style pizzas based on his family’s recipes. The business’ name is a combination of strada (street) and Napoli. Bereciartu’s parents operated a pizzeria for a few decades in Merida, Venezuela, and their children pitched in by making dough, preparing pizza …

If you thought arancini only showcased the flavors of Italy, think again. Amici restaurant, which opened recently at 3933 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, serves classic Italian arancini stuffed with meat sauce and prosciutto, plus a variety of other flavor profiles, including Mexican, African, Indian and Thai. The eatery’s tagline is “five different cuisines in the palm of your hand.” “A lot of people assume we’re an Italian place, but we’re not,” owner Alfio Sciacca told Block Club Chicago. “The idea came from Italy because the arancini are from Italy, but we stuff them with different cultures.” The menu …

Brittany and Tony Colatori, owners of Cucina Bella restaurant in Algonquin, have teamed up with Jose Moreno to open Bella’s Wood Fire Pizzeria, also in the northwest suburb. The Cary-Grove Area Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new pizzeria at 123 S. Main St. in Algonquin. The menu draws inspiration from Tony Colatori’s family roots in Sannicandro, in Italy’s Puglia region. “You can expect nothing but the finest in Italian cuisine,” Brittany Colatori said in a chamber news release. Moreno and Tony Colatori worked together in the restaurant industry for 20 years. For more, click here.

Two legendary Chicago-area candymakers have joined forces. Ferrara Candy, a business unit of Ferrero SpA, agreed to acquire Jelly Belly Candy Co., Crain’s Chicago Business reported. The seed for Ferrara was planted at the Original Ferrara Bakery on Taylor Street, which blossomed into Ferrara Pan Candy in Forest Park. The business unit now employs 7,500 worldwide, including 2,200 in Illinois. Jelly Belly began as Goelitz Confectionery Company in suburban St. Louis and later moved to California. It has about 800 employees and operates a plant in North Chicago. Ferrero SpA is a multinational company headquartered in Luxembourg with roots in …

Carme Forte Jr. will ascend to the presidency of the Columbian Club of Chicago at a black-tie installation dinner on Jan. 27 at Medinah Country Club. For reservations, call Christopher Derks at 847-275-3130. Forte has been a member since 2015. “My father has been a member of the club for 20 years or more, and I always loved attending events with our family,” he explains. “I wanted to become more involved in a wonderful organization that furthers our Italian heritage and gives so much back to the community. “The CCC is a great group of men who are dedicated to …

While he was growing up in Chicago Heights during World War II, Dominic Candeloro wasn’t at all proud of his Italian ancestry. His father was a low-paid construction worker who only learned a few words of English. That and the fact that Italy was fighting against the Allies made him ashamed of his roots. The feeling persisted after the war, when the peninsula was in shambles and the country was frequently referred to as “war torn” in the press. It wasn’t until Candeloro saw Fellini’s film “La Dolce Vita” while he was pursuing his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University that …

Chicago attorney Bruno Marasso has been named to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s Forty Under 40 list for 2023. Marasso is a partner at Romanucci & Blandin. A member of the Justinian Society of Lawyers since law school, Massaro has volunteered his time on the executive board since 2017, most recently serving as president for the 2022-23 year. He is also an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, National Italian American Bar Association and American Association of Justice.