Q&A

If you just bought an Italian product from your local grocery market or bookstore, chances are Marco Verna and his staff at the Italian Trade Agency helped put it on the shelf. Have you ever wondered how so many delicious Italian cheeses, pastas, sauces and wines show up in your local supermarket? It’s a little bit of magic created by an agency of the Italian government with a local branch located right on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. Marco Verna arrived from Italy last September to head the Italian Trade Agency in the Windy City. Known in Italy as ICE (Istituto per …

An educator of Italian descent, Diana Hartmann is spearheading a drive to introduce Italian-American history into grade and high school curricula across the state. In this era of ever-expanding inclusion, Italian Americans have long been the odd community out. That may soon change in Illinois if Diana Hartmann has anything to do with it. An educational administrator of Italian descent, Hartmann has watched as books about Italian and Italian-American history and culture have disappeared from the shelves of school libraries. Last fall, she took action to reverse the trend. “I wanted to make sure that our contributions and experiences received …

A natural-born performer, Vanessa Racci abandoned a career in marketing to dedicate herself full time to rekindling the flame of classic Italian-American music. Imagine taking the swinging, glamorous Italian-American singers of the mid-20th century — Connie Francis, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Prima — and distilling their essence for the 21st-century stage. Vanessa Racci does exactly that in her performances, bringing the music of these icons to life for a new generation. As a child, Racci soaked up the Italian-American music enjoyed by her grandfather. By age 4, her parents encouraged her to sing when they had company over. By …

A journalist on an incredible journey, Nicola Orichuia parlayed his passion for reading and knowledge into the first bricks-and-mortar Italian bookstore in the United States. There are two things you need to know about Nicola Orichuia. Though he was born in Italy to Italian parents, his dad’s globetrotting career gave him an international perspective. Still, he is thoroughly Italian, transmitting the love of his native land to his new home in America. Also, he loves to read and share knowledge. OK, that’s four things, but from those characteristics flow many of his achievements, from a journalism career in Rome, to …

A clinical scientist at the National Institutes of Health since 1996 and a program director since 2007, Dr. Lynn Sorbara is helping make early cancer detection a reality. Imagine going to the doctor for your annual checkup, providing a small sample of blood or saliva for testing, and learning a few days later whether you’re in the clear or dealing with the early stages of cancer. Identifying the dread disease that early would increase your chances of survival, as well as minimize your pain and the disruption to your family. More people would be spared the terror of suddenly learning …

Heeding a calling one cold night 20 years ago, Dr. Patrick Angelo has been helping the homeless ever since, recently launching a business and a nonprofit to fund even greater efforts. Even 20 years later, Dr. Patrick Angelo struggles to explain the freezing February night when he felt a command to get into his car and drive downtown to go feed and warm the homeless. He didn’t know his way around downtown Chicago. But after making some random turns, he arrived at a homeless encampment on Lower Wacker Drive, where he had never been before. For about 13 years, Angelo …

A standout high school teacher and director for decades, she now fosters theater at every level throughout the state. Carmel De Stefano loved theater as a child, studied it as an undergrad and beyond, and taught and directed it for decades at the high school level. All of that has prepared her well for her current theatrical turn, as a leader since 2016 in the Illinois Theatre Association. After immersing herself in theater throughout her youth and earning a bachelor of arts in theater and broadcasting out east, the Niagara Falls, New York, native decided to head west. Arriving in …

A former Eagle Scout, Army officer and CFO, Brian Caputo brought all those skill sets to bear in steering the College of DuPage through the pandemic. If you’re facing a real crisis — say, the need to keep a 21,000-student college going through a global pandemic — it’s not a bad idea to have a guy like Brian Caputo in charge. Caputo started honing his leadership skills as a teen in the Chicago suburbs, earning his Boy Scouts of America Eagle Award, then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in the active and reserve military, …

Anna Bonavita nonprofit tour series uplifts the towns she explores while immersing visitors in a rejuvenating culinary, cultural and communal experience. Science launched Anna Bonavita’s career, but an appreciation for art led her to create an Italian film festival, a cultural center and a series of highly personal, connoisseur-level cultural tours to Italy. After she immigrated to the United States to work in Minneapolis, her quest for friendship, community and the familiar comforts of Italy propelled her to start the film festival. A random event stirred up a romance with an Italian senator, who came to Minneapolis to help her …

As the director of the Chicago office of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Luca Di Vito’s job is to illuminate Italy’s vast cultural treasures and burnish the country’s image around the world. In a sleek office on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, the Italian government offers up a wealth of cultural riches in the form of movie screenings, lectures on art and architecture, discussions on Dante, and more. Luca Di Vito, director of the Chicago office of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, explains that Italy provides this resource to promote Italian culture around the world. The Istituto has a devoted local fan …