Little Italy Podcast & Little Italy of LA Podcast

Please welcome to our show, #BillLagattuta, award-winning TV journalist best known for his work on CBS's 48Hours, covering some of the biggest crime stories around the globe, and NBC News, breaking stories from Somalia to China. Bill has also worked as an anchorman at KNBC Los Angeles, which is why he may seem so familiar to our local audience.   Since leaving the world of TV news, Bill has become...

 Please welcome to our show, #LuciaGiardina, entrepreneur, actor, and founder of #LuciasKitchen.  Lucia has an interesting story, and we start at the beginning, when she was a young girl, cooking with her mama and grandma in the kitchen. By age 12, she was preparing full meals for the entire family in Torino, Italy, and it was her family who encouraged her to jar her tomato sauce, and finally, she...

Francesca Fanti has worked with some of the top talent in #Hollywood, and today she joins our #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast to talk about her latest film, #Oscar-nominated #Luca.  Francesca has had an incredibly successful career in theater, film, and TV since moving to LA from Rome. She's worked with some of the best in the business, including #FrancisFordCoppola, has appeared in #AmericanCrimeStory as...

Life + Art = Chaos, or so says Italian film director, writer, and inventor, Alessio Della Valle, joining us on our #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast.   Alessio is in Los Angeles to talks about his new film, "American Night," a favorite at the Venice Film Featival and getting early Oscar buzz here in Hollywood. In fact, he's visiting Los Angeles from Florence to discuss his film, a thriller that explores the...

Please welcome to our #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, actor Peter Onorati, recently featured in the film, "Being the Ricardos," in addition to dozens of top credits in Hollywood, including "Goodfellas" and so many others.  Peter grew first generation New Jersey Italian, and credits his strong Italian roots for much of his success. We'll be talking about his quick rise in the business, how he got the role...

Applying for dual citizenship can be daunting, and on our #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, we welcome Natosha Fortini, founder of Italian Citizenship DIY, who breaks it all down to make the process easier. If you've ever tried to apply for Italian citizenship, and the rules can seem confusing, depending on when your relative first became a U.S. citizen. And often, people throw up their hands in frustratio...

Please join us in welcoming Mike Ciminera to our #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, one of the most brilliant minds behind Northrop Grumman's F-14 Tomcat aircraft. Mike's rise to the top of his field as an aircraft developer is the stuff movies are made of. He takes us through the development of this exceptional plane, and shares the entire technological and geopolitical story behind the aircraft that defen...

What an thrill to interview  international performing sensation Romina Arena on our #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. Romina has overcome a lot in her life, including a harrowing experience when she was just 15-years-old. While sitting in her dressing room, she survived a brutal attack, when someone came in and slit her throat. She nearly died.  Instead, Romina came back stronger, with her voice reaching a...

Please welcome to our #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast actor, writer, producer Lorenzo Antonucci, heartthrob from "Days Of Our Lives," and "Game of Thrones" in their eighth season. Lorenzo always wanted to work in the acting business, but pursuing his dream wasn't so easy because it just wasn't what kids did in his neighborhood. Born in Brooklyn and raised on the streets in Queens, the idea of becoming an...

Welcome to our #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and we're thrilled to welcome Andrea Landi to our show.  Andrea is president of Landi Renzo, USA. The company which is a global leader in manufacturing ecological engines for the auto industry. It was his grandfather who started the business in Italy, long before clean energy fashionable, but after his death, it was Andrea's grandmother who brought the busin...

Please welcome award-winning author, chef, TV-personality, and Mediterranean- diet guru #AmyRiolo to our #LittleItalyOfLA Podcast   Amy is best known for sharing history, culture, and nutrition through global cuisine.  She enjoys changing the way we think about food, and exploring the history behind each dish, particularly of her Italian origins. As a "culinary anthropologist," Amy has appeared on...

In the Italian tradition, we promote out own, so please join me in welcoming John M. Viola, Rossella Rago, and Patrick O'Boyle of the Italian American Podcast, whose mission is similar to ours, bringing together extraordinary stories from Italians past and present.  I'm your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, of our #LittleItalyOfLA Podcast.    Their show started back East, but they recently visited our #L...

In honor of Italian American Heritage Month we are releasing a bonus episode of our #LittleItalyofLAPodcast with the amazing, #AntoinetteAbbamonte , interviewed by our host, Deborah Zara Kobylt. Antoinette is a uniquely talented actress and advocate for deaf performers, and recently starred in the film, "Since August." Antoinette is joined by interpreter #JonWolfeNelson.   "Since August" is a rive...

Please welcome to our show Clara Woods, a much sought-after Italian artist. Clara cannot speak, she has difficulty reading and writing, yet she understands three languages and speaks beautifully through painting. She and her family recently moved to Southern California from Italy so she could better focus on her painting while attending high school. Clara will be joined by her mom, Betina Genovesi...

Grammy-winning producer, singer, and songwriter, Steve Tyrell, shares his life story with award-winning journalist, host, and creator of the Little Italy Podcast, Deborah Zara Kobylt.   Steve chats about his upcoming album, his mega-successful career music career, his radio show, and of course his Italian roots. Steve's breakthrough performances in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride II he...

Please welcome entrepreneur and filmmaker, Andrea Iervolino, born in Cassino, Italy, and who started selling websites in Italy at age 13, then hustled door-to-door at 15 to fund his first film. Now, Andrea leads two global companies, and his social media tech firm, TaTaTu, had the worlds third largest IPO at $575M.  Andrea's film ventures include working with Morgan Freeman, John Travolta, and Sel...

Please join me in welcoming Valentina Castellani Quinn, a filmmaker and philanthropist whose work has been making headlines globally. Valentina will be joining us from her home in Florence, where her family has owned the famed opera house there since the 1800's.  Valentina has made a career for herself making impactful films that promote social awareness in society. She is currently working on the...

On our #LittleItalyOfLA Podcast today, our guests Alexandra Ancich and Matteo Becucci, speak with host, Deborah Zara Kobylt about all things Tuscany! ⁠ The two met while Alex, an American, was traveling with her mom in Tuscany, they stopped at his family restaurant, Bellavista Impruneta - also the name of their family hotel in the Tuscan Hills - and let's just say love was in the sauce. ⁠ ⁠ They f...

Want to get to the Italian countryside but it's not convenient at the moment? Then meet Barbara Locci, owner of the @Sardegna_Ranch in San Diego. ⁠ ⁠ Barbara is from #Sardinia, and she fashioned her ranch much like her native Italian island, and she spoke with host of our Little Italy of LA Podcast, Deborah Zara Kobylt. #SardegnaRanch is a beautiful, relaxing 28-acre property along the Potrero Cre...

Today our host, #DeborahZaraKobylt of @deborahkobyltlive speaks with #MikeGordon, owner of Toscana, one of the most notorious Italian restaurants in all of Los Angeles for over two decades. Mike fell in LOVE with all things Italian and spent time in Italy to learn everything about food and wine from the best. But it was actually a day spent with Wolfgang Puck that convinced Mike to get into the re...

We've gone the moon, now let's step foot on #Mars! It may soon be possible, according to some scientists, although not everyone would venture to go. On our #LittleItalyOfLA Podcast, host #DeborahZaraKoblyt speaks with the brilliant Alessandro Buscicchio, Robotics Engineer at #NASA and #JPL. In other words, he's the brains behind the #MarsRover & #spidermonkey robot. Alessandro first came to the U....

It's our #LittleItalyOfLA Podcast today, and we're so excited to welcome Kathy McCabe, Travel Expert on all things #Italian , as well as host of the #PBS special, #DreamOfItaly . ⁠ ⁠ Kathy has interviewed everyone from⁠ #Coppola to #Sting and everyone in between, and she's the driving force behind all of it. Hear why she started her show, how she gets her guests, and also learn a thing or two abou...

Who else still believes in sitting around the table and eating together? 🍽🖐 Today, our #LittleItalyofLAPodcast guest, Patricia Di Carlo Berge n, shares a bit about growing up with these traditions, spending summers in #Italy and how this has inspired her endeavors of bringing an #Italian market to Southern California. Listen to the full episode to hear Patricia share with our host, Deborah Zara Ko...

Ornella Fado , an Italian TV personality and founder of OK Productions LLC, a media productions company based in NY where she currently lives. ⁠ ⁠ Ornella is also the creator of the infamous Brindiamo! brand, including the Television show that has been broadcast on NYC TV since 2005.⁠ ⁠ Ornella Fado also just launched the first and only digital guide about fine Italian eateries around the world ca...

When I think of fine Italian dining and specialty wines, the name Piero Selvaggio, comes to mind, and we spoke with him recently on our #LittleItalyOfLA Podcast.  Piero founded the legendary West LA restaurant, Valentino, and his famous recipes, buffalo mozzarella, truffles, and wine selection became synonymous with fine dining. Piero has since closed Valentino, and now brings his master selection...