Food

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.

Actress-turned-food expert Valerie Bertinelli has published her third cookbook, based on her resolution to end the battle with the scale. “Indulge: Delicious and Decadent Dishes to Enjoy and Share” is written in a “warmhearted and intimate style” with heartfelt essays about how to savor moments big and small, according to publisher HarperCollins. “Indulge” contains recipes Bertinelli cooks for her friends and family, including Garlic Confit BLT, Oven “Fried” Okra, Spaghetti al Limone, Salmon Burgers with Quick-Pickled Vegetables, Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce, and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Dates. Bertinelli rose to fame as a teenager in the sitcom “One Day at a …

  “The Tuscans celebrate beef as much as people do in Chicago.” That’s what two-time James Beard-nominated chef Evan Funke told David Manilow, host of “The Dining Table” podcast, during a conversation about his new restaurant, Tre Dita, which he opened in the spring in Chicago in partnership with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. “Tre dita” means “three fingers” in Italian, a reference to the thickness of a properly cut Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the upscale restaurant’s signature dish featuring 60-day dry-aged, 42-ounce prime porterhouse at $290 a pop. The restaurant, on the second floor of The St. Regis Chicago, 401 E. …

After the closure of its flagship restaurant in Chicago’s Little Italy, Rosebud now boasts its first location outside of Illinois. Rosebud on Taylor closed Dec. 31 but is still open for private events. Originally founded in 1976 as Bocciola della Rose (“bud of the rose” in Italian), the restaurant attracted famous patrons such as Oprah Winfrey, Frank Sinatra, Robert De Niro and Gene Hackman, Eater Chicago reported. However, the area changed over the last 50 years, founder Alex Dana told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Industrial companies moved away, which once provided us with huge lunchtime crowds. Little Italy got smaller, and …

Restaurateur Dominic Florio has come out of retirement to open an Italian restaurant in Crystal Lake, in suburban Chicago. Slated to open in July, at 1540 Carlemont Drive, Florio’s Italian features fresh ingredients and traditional southern Italian recipes. Florio sold his original Florio’s restaurant in Chicago in the 1990s, then went into the car-dealership business until he retired, Shaw Local reported. “I decided, one more time,” the 73-year-old said. “I can only play so much golf, and I love the business.” Chef Renato Marmolino, a native of Italy, helped craft Florio’s Italian menu. For more, click here.  

In the foreword of his debut cookbook, Chef Joey Maggiore is described as “vibrant, entertaining and as wild as they get.” That’s certainly reflected in the 70 recipes featured in his “Brunch King: Eats, Beats, and Boozy Drinks,” which will be out in September. Maggiore is the driving force behind The Maggiore Group and Hash Kitchen, located in Arizona, Utah and Texas. His cookbook includes recipes such as Ten-Layer Breakfast Lasagna, Crème Brulée French Toast Sticks, Blue Corn Bananas Foster Pancakes, Carnitas Hash and Gnocchi Carbonara Hash, as well as a variety of inventive cocktails. For more, click here.   …

Caputo Cheese took home first place in the Fresh Mozzarella category at the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest. The Melrose Park-based cheesemaker’s “nodini” was crowned the winner at the contest, which took place in Madison, Wisconsin, WBBM Newsradio reported. “Nodini” means “little knot” in Italian. Renzo Berardi, sales manager at Caputo’s, credited the way the cheese is created with the win. “I think it stems (from) the flavor profile and the uniqueness of this item — the hand-tied, the crafting of this cheese. We bring the tradition of handmade products.” Berardi said the nodini has a “chewy bite just in …

“Get them in, get them out, and get the dough crisp” is how Chris Marston described to the Daily Herald the pizza-making process at his new restaurant, Legends Pizza in Carol Stream. Marston is a former service representative for Chicago Brick Oven, and at one point had up to six different models of pizza ovens in his backyard. He and his wife, Michelle, achieved their dream of opening a restaurant this spring. Legends Pizza, at 158 N. Gary Ave., has a full bar and a carousel oven that cooks 12-, 14- and 16-inch thin-crust pizzas at 550 degrees. The menu …

In the works for four years, a new coffee flavor is now on the menu at Miko’s Italian Ice. Miko’s has two locations in Chicago, at 2236 N. Sacramento Ave. and 4125 N. Kimball Ave. Owner Zach Roombos told Block Club Chicago that the new flavor came from listening to customer feedback. “It’s very exciting, and lots of people have been asking for it for a long time,” Roombos said. With a rotating list of 30 flavors, the family-run business celebrates its 27th anniversary this year. A location in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood closed in 2019. For more, click here.

The third Chicago location of Bonci pizzeria opened in the spring at 3151 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Bonci features Roman-style pizza al taglio, or rectangular slices, sold by weight. Exotic variations include Lemon Ricotta and vegan Mushroom Rosa pizzas, but you can also find pizza with traditionally American ingredients like pepperoni, Eater Chicago reported. Bonci opened its first location outside of Italy seven years ago in Chicago’s West Loop, followed by a location in Lincoln Park. The U.S. group is co-owned by Chakib Touhami, who told Eater he and his partner hope to start debuting suburban locations. For …