Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast

Please welcome to our show, the director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di LosAngeles, AKA the Italian Cultural Institute, Emanuele Amendola, and he joins us to discuss the mission of the @iiclosangeles in bringing cultural, scientific, academic, and culinary experiences that highlight everything authentic direct from Italy. The programs are all free, engaging, and open to everyone. Emanuele...

As we continue to celebrate #InternationalWomensMonth, please welcome my guest, Yvonne Scio, actress, model, and the writer/director of the documentary, Womeness, which was just recently screened at the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles to rave reviews! Yvonne, who was raised in Italy, is also known for her work in the 2006 version of The Pink Panther, in addition to Redline, and Rose Red....

ove LA Magazine? I don't miss an issue. How about Orange Coast, Pasadena, and SoCal Magazines for those folks living there? Well, the brains behind all of them is President and Publisher Christopher Gialanella, and I'm thrilled to welcome him to our shows today. Chris is from Livingston, New Jersey, and when I found that out, the two of us couldn't stop chatting about it because I went to the Livi...

Please join me in welcoming one of the most talented comics of a generation, Tom Dreesen, who's appeared on Carson over 60 times, toured with Sinatra for nearly 15 years, was half of the comedy team Tim and Tom (with Tim Reid), and has written a best-selling book, "Still Standing...My Journey from Streets and Saloons to the Stage, and Sinatra," that talks about it all, including when he found out...

Valentina Castellani Quinn, president of Quinn Studios Entertainment, has been living the American dream, arriving from Florence and making a formidable mark in Hollywood as an award-winning producer and filmmaker, with films "One Rock, Three Religions," "Wonderful Losers," "Augie," and others to her credit. She also recently signed a joint deal with Big M Entertainment Pictures and Sony Pictures...

Do you love olive oil? I do, and it's not just for cooking and eating. In fact, it's been used for everything from bathing to skin and hair care, too. But how does a person know what's the best type of olive oil to use, to consume, to cook with? Please welcome my friend and award-winning chef, Amy Riolo, and Dr . Simon Poole , to discuss their latest book, "Olive Oil for Dummies." In their latest...

Please join me in welcoming my friends, Dr. Mary Reid Gaudio and Gino Gaudio, filmmakers and founders of the Tony Gaudio Foundation, who joined us today to discuss the magnificent film they will soon debut about Oscar-winning cinematographer, Gaetano Gaudio, the first Italian-born filmmaker from Italy to win an Academy Award. And his story is fascinating. In 1906, Gaetano "Tony" Gaudio, a young ma...

Michelle Danner, film director and founder, "The Creative Center for the Arts" & "The Los Angeles Acting Conservatory," has had a remarkable career in multiple areas of the arts, and she joins us today to talk about longevity, how the business is changing, and how a good story always rules. Michelle is behind some of the industry's most notable films, from "The Italians," "Miranda's Victim," and "...

Please welcome to our shows, Alexo Wandael, Italian film director, producer, and director based out of LA and NY, and he joins us to discuss an incredibly interesting project he's been working on called ITALIANY.US, where he photographs his subjects and black and white, all of them from Italy, and interviews them about the life they've created here in America. Why did they come here, what are thei...

Please welcome our shows Alessandra Repini, who wrote, "THE ITALIAN LADY: The Perfect Guide To Making Yourself ever Cheerful, Classy and Admired." Alessandra talks about how to discover the "modern day dolce vita and enjoying it wherever you are in the world," which is another subtitle to her book. Have you ever noticed how Italian women always seem to look elegant, cook with finesse, and just see...

Please join me in welcoming Raffaella Valentini, our esteemed Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles, who joins us to discuss a monumental event that soon grace our shores at the Port of Los Angeles - the arrival of what's been called "the most beautiful ship in the world," the Amerigo Vespucci. The Vespucci is the historic and iconic training ship of the Italian Navy, and it will be accompanied b...

Please join me in welcoming Anna Harsh, author, professional dancer, award-winning choreographer, and founder of the Allegro Dance Company, a dance troupe that teaches and performs traditional dances of Italy, region by region. They perform throughout the country and internationally, and their work is absolutely spectacular! The mission of Allegro Dance Company is to preserve and perpetuate tradit...

Please give a warm welcome to my guest, Marianna Cuomo Maier, certified health & wellness coach and founder of Grata Wellness, which helps people take charge of their health, find more joy in their lives, and often, she says, it starts with food. Marianna holds wellness workshops, meditation, and journaling groups at wellness events in support of finding our healthier, more balanced selves. And as...

Please welcome to our show the immensely talented Italian director and actress, Ilaria Borrelli, who is also a human rights activist. In fact, much of Ilaria's activism is reflected in her work, often with an emphasis on the rights of woman and young girls. I met Ilaria at the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles, when she was speaking about her film, "The Goat," about an 11-year-old pregnant...

Meet Bunny Hull. Bunny is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter with 20 Gold and Platinum Certifications. She's the recipient of the GMA Dove Award, BMI Performance Award, Parents' Choice Awards, and that's not even why we're having her on our show today! Hull, who has also been inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame, joins us to talk about something truly dear to her heart, in addition to...

Please join us in welcoming Andrew Cotto, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Appetito Magazine. Andrew is also an award-winning novelist of seven books, a regular contributor to the New York Times, and he loves all things Italy, particularly food and wine. His passion is to write and talk about it, and share his experiences so we can fall in love with the Italian way of living as he has. Andrew lik...

Please welcome to our show, Bryan and Stephanie Mazzarello, creators of their brilliant short film, "Make Me Italian," which follows the story of an Italian-American man attempting to prove his Italian citizenship through ancestry so he can attain an Italian passport. The story is loosely based on Bryan's experience of getting his Italian passport, and it's quite a story. We talk with Bryan about...

Please welcome to our show the mega-talented writer, producer, and director Andria Litto, who joins us to discuss her magnificent documentary, "My Father Moves Mountains," about her dad, George Litto, who represented many of Hollywood's top writers who were black-listed during the McCarthy era and beyond. This is a fascinating film, with detailed interviews from actors, writers, and agents, with f...

Please welcome to our show my dear friend, Ann Potenza, who is bringing an exceptional play to life in Los Angeles for the upcoming Women's History Month, called "The War of Roses - The Women. The Voices. The Vote." This is an important play that talks about the women suffragettes, and the play follows some of the most memorable names who were at the forefront to getting women out to vote. In fact...

We are pleased to welcome to our show, Raffaella Valentini, esteemed Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles. Raffaella has years of experience having worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseeing projects promoted by Italy in the Balkins, North Africa, and Middle East. She's also worked at the Embassy's economic office in Albania and Cairo before coming to Los Angeles. Raffaella has keen i...

It was an extraordinary day this week at Anaheim White House Restaurant, where Chef Bruno Serato opened his doors to raise money for his beloved Caterina's Club so Bruno and his team can feed near 25,000 kids and families in need every month! That's A LOT of Pasta! And we'll find out just how much was raised at yesterday's #PastaThon when we speak with him. Bruno has become a friend over the years...

Rick Caruso has become a household name, known as a mega-successful real-estate developer, philanthropist, and LA mayoral candidate, but I know him as the family man who has Sunday dinners with his family, no matter what's going on. And he credits much of that to his strong Italian roots. Please join me in welcoming Rick to our show, where we'll talk about some little-known facts about the man beh...

Please join me today as we welcome my beautiful friend, Cristina Ferrare - supermodel, New York Times best selling author, TV talk show host, chef, cancer survivor, mom, and much more. Cristina is of Italian descent, born to Renata and Tavio Ferrare, who was a butcher in Ohio. But they didn't stay in Ohio long, because Cristina's beauty was so blinding, she was signed by a top modeling agency in L...

Love Italian food, wine, fashion, accessories and more? Then you MUST listen to our show today, featuring Lorenzo Lisi, creator of the Nexxt - Made in Italy Expo, happening this week Oct. 19-22 at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles. This is an extraordinary event featuring 120 of the finest vendors from Italy, there will be food tastings and more, and it's FREE! Also joining us will be the legenda...

#Monica is a film worthy of an Oscar nomination, and I recently interviewed Eleonora Granata-Jenkinson, producer, and Andrea Pallaoro, director, about the making of this this beautiful movie. Monica is played Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson stars as her mother. The film is about a trans woman who was driven out of her home decades earlier because her family would not accept her life choice. Bu...