Food

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 …

Chef and restaurateur Rick Tramonto, who was behind the acclaimed, now-closed Tru in Chicago, is at the helm of Nisos Prime, a Mediterranean steakhouse in Chicago’s West Loop. The author of several books and cookbooks, Tramonto is executive chef and director of food and beverage for Parker Hospitality in Chicago. Tramonto and Parker Hospitality launched Nisos Prime at 802 W. Randolph St., the location that housed Nisos, a Mediterranean-influenced restaurant that closed last year. “What was exciting about the project was the fact that I could take all of this Mediterranean influence from Italy and France, Greece and Spain, and …

When Lauren McLaughlin found out she was allergic to gluten and about 30 other foods, she soon discovered that a lot of gluten-free food wasn’t very good, and some even “legitimately terrible,” she told the Daily Herald. McLaughlin, who used to make homemade pasta with her grandmother, decided to start her own brand of gluten- and allergen-free pasta. She first sold her pasta at farmers markets and in December opened a retail store, Ugly Noodle, at 2600 Keslinger Road, Suite 15, in Geneva, Illinois. The store sells fresh, gluten-free pastas, dried pastas and a curated selection of mostly gluten- and …

Pequod’s Pizza, which has locations in Chicago and Morton Grove, is the nation’s favorite pizza, according to Yelp Elite Squad’s 2024 Top Pizza Spots. Pequod’s has a unique take on the traditional deep-dish pizza: The crust is made by placing a ring of mozzarella around the rim of the pan, which caramelizes as the pizza cooks, TimeOut reported. Pequod’s was the brainchild of the late Burt Katz, who brought his signature caramelized crust to his new establishment from the now-closed Gullivers Pizza & Pub in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Katz stayed at Pequod’s until 1986, when he sold the business …

A new Italian restaurant in Oak Park is a labor of love for its Italian-born chef and owner. Ciro Parlato hails from Corbara, a town near the Amalfi Coast, and moved to the United States in 2012. He first settled in Miami Beach, Florida, without knowing a word of English. He started taking classes at an international school and fell in love with Oak Park through his English teacher and her son, who lived there. “I visited, and I loved Oak Park so much,” says Parlato, who moved to the Chicago suburb in 2016. He decided to open a restaurant …

Growing up in Detroit, Noah Zamler learned to make pasta beside his mother and grandmother. Now, Zamler is living out his childhood dream as co-owner and head chef of Terra e Mare (Land and Sea), an Italian restaurant that opened at 404 S. Wells St. in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood, Block Club Chicago reported. Zamler partnered for the venture with Cristian Mendoza and Petros Papatheofanis. Terra e Mare features “the best of the land and sea,” according to the restaurant’s website, including fresh seafood dishes, house-made pasta and bread, and locally sourced ingredients. A beverage menu includes cocktails, Italian wines …

Amore Mio has opened in downtown Aurora. Roberto Avila, the owner and chef of the Italian restaurant and piano bar, learned about Italian food while living in Venice, Italy, more than a decade ago. He is also chef and owner of the Latin fusion restaurant Altiro, with locations in Aurora, Geneva and Wheaton. Amore Mio “pays homage to the essence of the great Italian-American restaurants of the mid-20th century in New York City,” according to the restaurant’s website. Its menu includes antipasti, salads, pasta, and meat and fish dishes. The latest planned addition is Roman-style square pizza made in an …