Food

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 …

Conte Di Savoia in Chicago’s Little Italy has sold Italian specialties and gourmet foods since 1948, and now can boast a major celebrity endorsement. Chef Jeff Mauro, the host of the TV show “Sandwich King” on the Food Network, told the BBC that Conte Di Savoia makes his favorite vegetarian sandwich. “This three-generations-old Italian deli makes its own mozzarella and its own sun-dried tomatoes, which makes this light and bright sandwich like consuming a gooey bite of sunshine with each bite,” Mauro said. Other vegetarian options include grilled eggplant and egg-salad sandwiches. Meat lovers, fear not, because Conte Di Savoia’s …

Paisans Pizzeria has opened a 10th location in the Chicago area, in the suburb of Oak Lawn. The original location in Cicero was launched in 1985 by Luigi Fejzuloski. Then came Chicago (three locations), Brookfield, Berwyn, Lisle and Morton College. Luigi’s son and three grandsons also became involved in the business, Food Industry News reported. Giving back “is at the core” of Paisans, according to its website. For example, Paisans donates pizza to the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s annual Muscle Walk in May, and serves Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless through the nonprofit Street Samaritans. For more, click here.

Marisa Palese plans to write a book about what the Chicago Tribune called “the long-disputed story behind the most controversial of all the Chicago-style pizzas.” That’s the stuffed pizza, invented in 1971 by her father, Rocco Palese, who with her mother, Annunziata Palese, opened the original Nancy’s Pizza in 1974. The franchise now has 25 locations, including 18 in Illinois and the rest in Georgia, Missouri and North Carolina. Marisa Palese owns the last pizzeria remaining in the family at 8706 W. Golf Road in Niles. She is looking for a publisher for her book, which will be “a saga …

LAGO Italian restaurant, which opened earlier this year in Lake Zurich, Illinois, is the latest venture from Italian-born celebrity chef Fabio Viviani. Viviani appeared on the reality TV series “Top Chef” in 2008, when he was voted “Fan Favorite.” Through his group, Fabio Viviani Hospitality, he’s opened three dozen food establishments, restaurants, bars and event spaces, according to his website. The Lake Zurich restaurant, however, is special. Viviani, a resident of nearby Barrington Hills, told the Daily Herald, “This is in my neighborhood, so it’s personal. We got a good turnout, it feels great.” Steak is the main attraction at …

Stefani’s Bottega Italiana, a fast-casual restaurant at 6075 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, specializes in homemade pasta, Roman-style pizza and Italian sandwiches. It also features a “pasta lab” and a retail area with imported Italian ingredients, Block Club Chicago reported. Leading the kitchen is Vincenzo Vottero, a Michelin-starred chef from Bologna, Italy, who also has been tapped as Stefani Group’s culinary director. Vottero’s signature dishes are Bolognese tortellini stuffed with meat and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lasagna made with seven layers of spinach-infused noodles with Bolognese sauce. In addition to Vottero’s handmade pastas, Bottega offers additional pastas made in-house, along with a …