la voce march 2015

Voices

06 Allora

07 Bevilacqua

08 Lorraine

09 Lombardo

10 Fiore

11 Turano

Italia

12 Serafini

14 Scotti

15 Francesca

Food & Dining

16 Bevilacqua

18 Chef Brigandi

Features

20 All Roads To Vegas

Arts & Entertainment

24 IAC Scholarship

25 LV Hall of Fame

26 At the Club

27 Tony Sacca

Creators

28 La Casa

Las Vegas

30 Hockey Update

32 IAC News

33 Distributors

is published monthly by

La Voce Publishing Co.727 E. Fremont. T7

Las Vegas, Nevada 89101

Tel: 702-635-9868

P.O. Box: 581

e-mail us at:

[email protected]

for advertising information:

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Subscription rate:$20 per year.

La Voce reserves the right to accept, refuse, or discontinue any editorial, copy, or advertisement and shall not be liable to anyone

for printing errors, misinformation, or omissions in editorials, copy, or advertisements. These conditions apply to both the printed publica-

tion and the on-line publication. Nothing in either the printed publica-tion or the on-line publication may be reprinted in any form without

written permission from the Publisher.

Volume 14, Edition 3

LA VOCE

PUBLISHER

Dominic P. Gentile, Esq.

EDITOR

Edward Bevilacqua

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Matthew M. Kennedy

CIRCULATION

Larson Training Centers NP, Inc.

WRITERS

Senatore Renato Turano

LV Sheriff Joe Lombardo

Dom Serafini

Norma Vally

Lorraine Bono-Hunt

Tony Sacca

Chef Franco Brigandi

Francesca Di Meglio

Nikki Artale

Michele Fiore

Rhett Lozano Rice

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

William T. Bevilacqua

Dominic P. Gentile Esq.

Dawn M. Lozano, Esq.

Departments

5

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March 2015La Voce

Departments

4 copy MARCH_LAVOCE_TEMPLATE copy copy.indd 5 2/25/15 10:36 AM

If you’ve been a regular reader of

La Voce since our frst issue in October

2001, you might be wondering why we

changed our look and content. After all,

the adage goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fx

it”, right? If a publication can last four-

teen years in the Internet age, when print

media are fghting hard to stay alive,

we must be doing something correctly,

right?

Well, yes, we have been doing some-

thing correctly. From its inception La

Voce set out to create a virtual neighbor-

hood where Italian Americans (and those

who want to be) could get back in touch

with the cultural aspects of the cities

from whence they came. As we started

investigating the likelihood of success of

such an endeavor back in 1999, we knew

that the U.S. Census data estimated there

to be around 140,000 people of Italian

descent in Las Vegas. We visited with

the publishers of other Italian American

community publications from other cities

and they confrmed our belief that a pub-

lication would work here. Looking back

upon those days there is no doubt that,

but for the help and encouragement that

we received from those involved in the

Chicago area publication, known as Fra

Noi, we probably couldn’t have done it.

Paul Basile, its publisher, held our hand

every step of the way, providing content

and insight gained over the ffty years of

the existence of his publication.

So we built it, and you came. Our

writers, readers and advertisers have

remained loyal through thick and thin.

When other publications met their

demise during the fnancial wreckage

caused by one bubble or another, we

survived and came out of it stronger than

ever. During these fourteen years we

have seen the Italian American com-

munity in Las Vegas grow and become

more cohesive. There are some very

apparent examples of that statement.

One is the Italian American Club. I am

tempted to use the term “resurgence” but

it really doesn’t ft. The IAC hasn’t been

“revived”; nor has it been “reborn”. For

those of us who have been around long

enough to know, the truth is that it was

never nearly as good in the past as it is

now. It has an ambiance and a standard

of unpretentious quality that has attracted

at least as many people who do not have

a root in the boot as those who do. At a

recent monthly meeting where the guest

speakers were Gavin and Joe Maloof,

who are spearheading our efforts to ob-

tain an NHL franchise for Las Vegas, one

of the persons in attendance, Todd Bar-

rett, made the observation that, in their

heart of hearts “everyone’s Italian”.

And that, my dear reader, is precisely

why the copy of La Voce that you are

reading has changed. Our original dream

of creating a virtual neighborhood and

a publication that would demonstrate

to, and celebrate before, the entire Las

Vegas community the true essence of the

Italian American has made great strides,

and has been achieved. The image of

the Italian American in Las Vegas is no

longer disadvantaged by the theatrical

stereotype. Perhaps the best example

of that is the fact that Joseph Lombardo

is our Sheriff. He’s not the frst Italian

American to achieve that – Bill Young

was. But Sheriff Lombardo is the frst

to be recognizable by his surname,

not to mention that map of Italy on his

face. There was a time not so long ago

when the only Italian surnames that one

would fnd in the local media here were

attached to miscreants. Sheriff Lom-

bardo’s race was close and hard fought,

and his victory established in clear terms

that he was judged not by his surname

but by the content of his character. Just

as Dr. King had a dream, so did the Ital-

ian American immigrant, and men and

women such as our Sheriff who demon-

strate the integrity and work ethic are the

realization of that dream. We at La Voce

are extremely proud that he has agreed

to become a regular contributor to our

pages and his frst article appears in this

issue.

Another reason that we have changed

is that we came to realize that our

readership is not limited to the 140,000

Italian Americans in Las Vegas, or for

that matter, the 2,000,000 people here

who have access to us. Two years ago

we started distributing La Voce in news

racks on Las Vegas Boulevard – the

Strip. We did that because we thought

it would increase the value of the ads

that our supporters have been placing for

years. When the County Commission

sought to eliminate the racks last year,

it was La Voce and the Italian Ameri-

can community’s political action that

saved our ability to reach visitors and

conventioneers with our publication. It

was then that we came to realize that the

cohesion we dreamed of in the Italian

American population of Las Vegas was

a true fact. According to the Las Vegas

Convention and Visitors Authority there

were 41,126,512 visitors to our Enter-

tainment Capital of the World last year. If

the same percentage of those visitors are

Italian American as the national average,

that means that over 2.5 million of them

visit here each year. If that is the case,

and we believe that it is, then many are

taking a copy of this back to their homes

with them, just as you are. That means

that the Italian American community of

Las Vegas, our writers and advertisers

are being read worldwide. It will be our

challenge to make La Voce interesting to

them, and that is our goal.

This issue is the frst step on that

path. If you like it, let us know. If you

don’t, let us know anyway:

[email protected]

6March 2015 La Voce

Voices

Allora

By Dominic P. GentilePublisher


I am very proud to introduce this frst

issue of La Voce in a true magazine for-

mat. The tabloid/news magazine format

was ideal 14 years ago when the intrepid

founders started a community news

magazine in Las Vegas. However, the

internet has raised the bar, thus making it

possible to focus on our community na-

tionally and meet the changing demands

of readers and advertisers.

By including the 1.5 million mobile

Italian American residents (i.e. those

visiting Las Vegas during the year), Las

Vegas is one of the largest Italian Ameri-

can communities (and because most

mobile-residents stay along the Strip, it

is perhaps the most concentrated Italian

American community in the U.S.). It

is thus ftting and proper that we begin

our journey as a magazine by illustrat-

ing some of the “Best of the Best” that

comprise our dynamic community (i.e.

why Las Vegas is the epicenter of Italian

American culture today and one of the

world’s seven great cities).

This issue, is dedicated to the 1.5

million mobile residents, their families

and friends; our permanent residents,

their families and friends; and of course,

our ancestors who made it possible for

us to write about today.

Here’ s inside our frst issue as a

magazine:

• Some wisdom from our publishe

Dominic Gentile, Esq. (page 6)

• LV Metro Police Department Sher-

iff, Joe Lombardo timely article

about Metro’s decentralized strategy.

We have one of the most sophisticat-

ed Police departments in the world

(partially due to the security forces

inside the casinos) (page 9);

• Lorraine Hunt-Bono’s Nevada

Report on the need for free minds

and free markets (page 8)

• A lesson in values Frank Bonanno,

CEO of 5th Avenue Restaurant

Group, the 900 pound gorilla of din-

ing in Las Vegas (page 16)

• An update with Tony Guanci re-

garding our city’s quest to bring the

frst major league sports franchise

to Las Vegas (i.e. an NHL hockey

team) (page 30)

• News from Angelo Cassaro regard-

ing the Italian American Club (aka,

“The Swankiest Club on the Planet”)

(page 32)

• Our feature story about Las Vegas’

role in Italian American culture in

the U.S. (page 20)

• An expanded Arts & Entertainment

department (page 25)

• A map of the locations where La

Voce is available

In addition to our monthly printed

edition available in your mailbox or lo-

cations around town and across the U.S.,

we now publish a weekly electronic

version delivered to your inbox and daily

Facebook and Twitter postings that pro-

mote interesting stories in our Google+

community.

It is also ftting and proper to

acknowledge the efforts of those who

made this issue possible, starting with

our publisher, Dominic Gentile, Esq.

for giving us the leeway to get it done.

Anyone who has survived as a printed

publication knows that it ain’t easy; and

it’s even less easy to move from a tabloid

to a magazine.

Next, our staff who contributed

stories which we believe will cause our

readers to keep this magazine, to share

it with their friends and, even better, to

subscribe so that it comes in their mail

each month.

I want to acknowledge our loyal

advertisers, especially Cassaro Con-

struction who hasn’t missed placing

two ads in every issue since issue #1,

14 years ago. Likewise, Siena Ital-

ian, Espressamente, Ferraro’s, the

Bootlegger, English Gardens Florist,

Parma, the Italian American Club and

the Augustus Society for their “above

and beyond” commitment to the cause

of insuring that Italian culture is shared.

And, our new advertisers, especially

Joe & Gavin Maloof, Frank Bonanno,

Nora’s Italian Cuisine, The Duke of

Fremont Street, James Flihan, and

Frank Leone.

I want to acknowledge the efforts of

Matt Kennedy for the design and layout

of the magazine;

Charry Kennedy of Margate Digital

for providing the necessary critique

and energy to bring it into existence

and the students and staff at Larson

Training Centers who did the grueling

work of assembling the content, the ads,

the communication with contributors,

distributors, advertisers and the actual

production and delivery of the magazine.

I also want to give special recognition

to Christina Cassaro who created the

cover which for the April issue which

illustrates why Las Vegas is one of the

world’s seven great cities and is today’s

epicenter for Italian American culture.

We’ve done our best to produce a maga-

zine that all Italian Americans can be

proud of; a magazine that conforms to

the National Italian American Founda-

tion’s mission statement,

“To serve as a resource for the Italian

American Community; to preserve the

Italian American heritage and culture;

to promote and inspire a positive image

and legacy of Italian Americans; and to

strengthen and empower ties between the

United States and Italy”

Let me know what you think, email me

at, [email protected]

7March 2015La Voce

Voices

Editor’s NotesEdward Bevilacqua


Champions of Free Minds and

Free Markets When I frst discovered the “champions of

free minds and free markets,” Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher and President Ronald

Reagan, I found a remarkable similarity

between their political philosophies and my

immigrant Italian ancestors’ beliefs. They

wanted to work hard, keep most of what

they earned to give and leave to their family

and they wanted to own a home, enjoy the

rights of private property and educate their

children.

My grandparents left Italy, escaping a cor-

rupt, controlling, and oppressive government

to come to America, the land of freedom

and opportunity, where their talents and hard

work could be rewarded in a quality of life

unattainable in Italy.

It was the same for so many other ethnic

groups from Europe and Asia who came to

the new land to achieve their own American

Dream. Along with our Founding Fathers,

they believed that freedom and equal op-

portunity for all was a critical component of

a prosperous society.

The Past Is the Key to the Future Today, many have forgotten the lessons

learned from the past. Those who have

forgotten must be reminded and educated to

understand the value of the basic beliefs held

by the men and women who fought and died

to give us the freedom and opportunity we

still enjoy today.

Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan

were the catalysts who set in motion a

series of interconnected events that gave a

revolutionary twist to the 20th century’s last

two decades. They helped mankind end the

millennium on a note of hope and confdence

with the collapse of Soviet Imperialism. They

left us a blueprint for an economic strategy to

promote a free – enterprise economy and to

encourage a capital owning society.

Margaret Thatcher became the longest

serving Prime Minister of the twentieth

century. She was a staunch capitalist and bent

on wiping socialism from the face of Britain.

During her tenure, she cut taxes, spending

and regulations; privatized state industries

and state housing; reformed the education,

health and welfare systems; was tough on

crime and espoused traditional values. She

argued that low taxes served as an incentive

to hard work where workers keep most of

what they earn.

I had the exciting opportunity of spending

time with the Prime Minister when she came

to Nevada to speak for the Thatcher Foun-

dation. It was one of the most politically

inspiring times of my life.

Margaret Thatcher related to me the chal-

lenges of growing up in a middle class family

and working in her father’s grocery store.

She said that is where she learned about the

“real world” of economics.

I could relate to her story as I grew up in

a middle class family and worked in my fam-

ily’s Italian pizzeria. I too learned about the

“real world” of economics and brought that

belief with me when I ran for public offce.

I was impressed with her keen sense of hu-

mor and her enduring passion for the work-

ing class. Some of the words of wisdom that

she shared with me are quotes that I keep on

my desk to remind me of my extraordinary

visit with this legendary leader.

-

condemned to idleness.”

-

few.”

t.”

Today, we desperately need leaders who

espouse the values of Ronald Reagan and

Margaret Thatcher. Achieving the American

dream does not happen by accident. Our

heritage guides us and we need to analyze

how we arrived at where we are today.

The past six years national public policy

has been leaning toward redistribution of

working men and women’s income giving

government the power to redistribute the

fruits of their labor not to their family but to

those whom government offcial deem the

proper recipients.

Government’s control to distribute prop-

erty and wealth unequally, without taking

into account the amount of work, creativity,

or time and individual has performed can

only be defned as “Socialism.” There is still

time to change the course that is currently

being forced upon us. We need leaders who

understand the dynamics of a prosperous,

robust economic environment that empowers

and gives incentives to individuals and small

businesses to invest and create jobs.

The miracle of America changed the course

of history and unleashed the power of indi-

viduals to use their talent and creativity to

produce the most powerful, productive, and

envied government in the world.

Italian Americans in America Italians were part of the diverse popula-

tion drawn to America. Those of us who are

of Italian descent have many stories told to

us by our parents and grandparents remind-

ing us that our ancestors left the fag of the

green, white, and red to come to the land

of the red, white, and blue to achieve their

own American dream. We must not let those

dreams slip through our fngers.

The Honorable Lorraine T. Hunt-Bono is a

55-year resident of Nevada. She is a prominent

businesswoman, Commissioner on the Nevada

Commission on Tourism, Chair of the Nevada

Business Roundtable, former Lieutenant

Governor of the State of Nevada and President

of the Nevada State Senate, former Chair of the

Nevada Commission on Economic Develop-

ment & 1st woman Chair of the Las Vegas

Conventions & Visitors Authority.

8March 2015 La Voce

Voices

The Nevada Report

By Lorraine Hunt-Bono

“Britain’s Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher

& NV’s Lt. Governor Lorraine Hunt-Bono”


Today, there is a lot of national

debate about the role of police in

creating healthy communities. Now,

more than ever, citizens are asking

the police to place more emphasis on

identifying the root causes of crime

and to work in partnership with others

to the solve the problems that impact

neighborhoods. This approach is in

contrast to the strong enforcement

strategies of the

past; strategies

that focused on

pushing down the crime rate and

favored incarceration as the long-term

solution. Incarceration is costly and

is not the single answer to abating

crime. The recent public outcry from

police use-of-force incidents (e.g.

Ferguson and New York City) has

challenged us to reconsider our ap-

proaches --especially when they detri-

mentally fray community relations.

As part of this debate, my agen-

cy—the Las Vegas Metropolitan

Police Department—has also thought

about how to best deliver police ser-

vices. For years, LVMPD placed the

emphasis on specialization—putting

detectives and resources at centralized

locations. Our violent crime detec-

tives, gang detectives, narcotics and

other specialized units were tasked

with concentrating on specifc types

of crimes. There were benefts, such

as expertise in a particular area or,

due to the collection of data, a greater

ability to identify a crime series. Yet,

over time, we see shortcomings in

this model, including: timeliness in

responding to crime, communication

between patrol offcers and detec-

tives, and most importantly, positive

interactions between police and the

community.

As LVMPD moves forward, we

will be adopting a decentralized orga-

nizational model where more investi-

gative resources and manpower will

be housed at the area police stations.

Detectives will have a more general-

ist approach, lessening the focus on

a particular category of crime, but

sharpening the attention on how best

to deliver services to a neighborhood.

The intent is for offcers and detec-

tives to be responsive to the neighbor-

hood’s needs. Overall success will

be contingent upon our ability to step

out into our diverse communities to

address both crime and quality of life

issues.

Decentralization will allow us to

be agile and fexible in utilizing lim-

ited manpower. In working with the

community, it will permit the leader-

ship at the stations to tailor individual

approaches to unique crime problems

and to develop the best strategies to

remedy them. Captains will have the

ability to move resources to confront

the most pressing problems.

The new model will increase com-

munication between patrol offcers

and detectives. We will experience

quicker responses to crimes while

ensuring timely follow up on inves-

tigations. Decentralization allows for

offcers to hand over an investigation

to detectives in the feld rather than

taking a report that can languish in a

fle while leads diminish. For success

in solving crime, time and informa-

tion are the most valuable assets.

The end product is to deliver better

service to the public.

Together, patrol and detectives

will beneft from a stronger sense of

ownership in the area they police.

Offcers will have a great level of

attachment with their community. I

want our offcers to know the people

in their neigh-

borhoods, and

the people in

the neighbor-

hoods to know our offcers. Having

a strong knowledge of the history of

a neighborhood—the demographics,

the faith-based and the non-proft

organizations, and the business own-

ers— provides an offcer with a solid

foundation on how to bring people

together.

The hope is for both the commu-

nity and the police to cultivate more

trust and respect for each other. I am

confdent that we will be successful

because I know that the fundamentals

of good police work boil down to an

offcer’s ability to talk with people

and listen to their concerns. To this

end, it is important that police agen-

cies do their best to place their people

closer to the problems.

Email comments to

[email protected]

9March 2015La Voce

Voices

Placing OfcersCloser to Problems

The Sheriff

LV Metro Police Department Sheriff Joe Lombardo


When asked, “

Amendment mean to you?” many

answers come to mind. However, one

surfaces the most often: the right to self-

protection. That is the premise of a bill I

introduced 2 years ago and re-introduced

this legislative session. Amanda’s Law

(a.k.a. Campus Carry) which, when

passed, will allow anyone with a valid

permit to carry a concealed frearm on

the campus of our colleges.

It never ceases to amaze me when

the media takes issues out of context.

This week, the media lashed-out to

discredit this legislation by saying that

most victims of sexual assault know their

attacker. And my response is, “That’s

not the case in most rapes and developing

a rape culture is not ok”. The point is that

it is still an attack, and the victim has a

right to self-protection , and even more,

the reason this bill is called “Amanda’s

Law” is because Amanda Collins was

violently raped in the parking garage of

the University of Nevada, Reno just feet

from where the university police cars

are parked and their offce is located.

Amanda’s attacker, James Biela, went

on to rape and murder Briana Dennison.

Amanda had her concealed weapons

permit and was denied her right to self-

defense by University of Reno.

It offends me to hear how few

offcers cover the miles and miles of

university property. In a legislative hear-

ing this year, we were told that there is a

minimum of 2 offcers on the University

of Nevada, Reno campus at all times!

There is no possible way two offcers

can cover the entire campus (let alone be

in the right place at the right time when

an attack occurs). I am a huge supporter

of our law enforcement, yet I know we

are asking the impossible of them in this

regards. The police are usually make

reports and investigate after something

bad occurred.

One of the biggest criticisms I hear

about regarding campus carry is the col-

lege environment. For many students,

college is the frst time they encounter

alcohol and adult relationships. What is

the difference between a 21 year old who

attends college and one who doesn’t?

They’re both citizens. They’re both

adults. Why should the location make a

difference?

Contrary to rumor, we’re not talking

about arming every student on campus.

We’re proposing allowing adults who

have successfully completed training to

be allowed to protect themselves if nec-

essary. By completing the concealed fre-

arm permit training program, recipients

are taught the seriousness of carrying

a frearm; including making and being

aware of decisions and the consequences

thereof.

Some might ask, “Why is this is-

sue so important?” Let’s digress for a

moment. Prior to 1989 we had frearms

on campus in Nevada. There was never

an incident. As the anti-gun movement

became vocal over the past 30 years it

swallowed Nevada. It’s gotten so bad that

those with a concealed weapon permit

and police offcer are denied a role as a

foster parent.

No other politician would utter or

write about this. I’ll say it again, “I’m not

just a politician, I’m true to our people.”

I will tell the truth --popular or not. I’ve

been asked by the New York Times to

apologize for my previous statements;

being apologetic to a group, or an indi-

vidual, because they feel offended by the

truth is unfounded. Our First Amendment

protects our right to free speech which

includes speech that some fnd offensive.

I accept having to offend some people in

order to defend their rights: period.

All other countries believe that

Americans are armed. This knowledge

has retarded many foreign attacks. For

example, when the Japanese plotted to

attack the U.S., initially they discussed

attacking our mainland. In 1941, Japan’s

General Yamamoto warned against such

a move because, as he said, “Americans

all have and are trained in the use of fre-

arms. There would be a rife behind every

blade of grass.” As history shows, they

didn’t attack our mainland, they attacked

Pearl Harbor by air.

Please follow and support our frearm

bills this session, especially “Campus

Carry”. Imagine the people you care

about and ask yourself if you’re conf-

dent that they will be safe and they won’t

become another statistic about sexual

assault on campus. We must pass legisla-

tion; it is our personal responsibility to

keep ourselves and those we love protect-

ed and safe. Amanda’s Law is scheduled

to be heard by the Assembly Judiciary

Committee in early March. We need your

help to let other legislators know this

bill is important to you and urge their

support. You can learn more or fnd your

legislator at http://leg.state.nv.us.

Now is the time to raise our voices

and protect our right to self-protection

(including on Nevada college campuses).

Because I will continued to be attacked

over my 2nd amendment stance, I will

end with a quote from one of my favorite

leaders: Margaret Thatcher -

, it

10March 2015 La Voce

Voices

Assemblywoman

Michele Fiore

“Campus Carry” I’m willing to ofend people to defend their rights, period.


In late January, the Italian Senate ap-

proved a new electoral law that will hope-

fully help our country fnd more political

stability and leave behind a system that

produced too much bureaucracy. There

are certainly many positive aspects to

the new law, but other important points

were left out that I and my fellow sena-

tors elected abroad would have wanted.

Let’s take a look at the good and the bad

This particular vote determines the future

of the Chamber of Deputies. A law passed

last year transformed the Senate into a sort

of non-elected regional chamber. There

will be no more senators elected outside

of Italy, but there will still be 12 deputies

representing Italians living abroad, two of

which will be elected in North and Central

America. This is a signifcant change that

I do not agree with, as I have mentioned in

the past, and which I will oppose until it is

approved by a referendum, which is still

to be set.

Going back to the electoral law, a posi-

tive new element that we had been pushing

for months is the opportunity to vote when

staying abroad for a short period of time.

This measure affects military personnel,

professionals and students, among others,

who fnd themselves living outside of Italy

for a period of three months. It will be the

voter’s responsibility to communicate with

his or her town of residence, specifying an

address to which a ballot can be sent. The

request must be made within 10 days of

the election’s offcial announcement, and

the right to vote would be valid for only

one election. The measure will add several

thousand voters per election and address

a controversial issue that had made waves

during the last election, especially among

students studying abroad for a semester.

What we really wanted to see in the

new law, however, are a series of measures

aimed at making the whole voting process

abroad more transparent and account-

able. We proposed to set up an overview

committee in every consular offce for

each election, with each Consul General

heading the committee. These committees

would have several individuals overseeing

the voting process, making sure everything

goes according to law. We also wanted to

limit as much as possible any risk of voter

fraud. In the past, we’ve heard stories of

people sending in their votes by mail and

then showing up at their Consular offce

to vote again. These committees would

guarantee more transparency during the

elections and would also help with the

many tasks that currently burden an over-

extended consular network.

We also proposed setting up four ad-

ditional centers in Italy where votes could

be counted. Rome is — and still will be

— the only center to receive votes from

all around the world. This has the nega-

tive effect of overtaxing a limited staff and

creating unacceptable delays.

Although the government has not

included these measures in the fnal law,

it has nevertheless promised to consider

them in the upcoming months.

One big question remains: It’s not

clear, in fact, how exactly future deputies

will be elected. Luckily, the government’s

initial proposal to have voters choose from

closed lists has been surpassed. The new

voting system still isn’t very clear on how

many deputies will be elected through

preferences and how many will instead

win a seat thanks to the votes obtained by

their party. Although the problems and

protests this new law will generate will be

minor compared to the previous “porcel-

lum” law, they still risk opening the gates

to a new appeal from the Constitutional

Court.

In closing, I want to congratulate our

new President of the Republic, Sergio

Mattarella, on his well-deserved elec-

tion on Jan. 31. I will have a chance to

welcome him properly in my next column,

along with a fond farewell to former Presi-

dent Giorgio Napolitano.

11March 2015La Voce

Voices

From Rome

By Senator Renato Turano

Electoral Seat Change

Svolte Eletorali A fne gennaio, il Senato italiano ha

approvato una nuova legge elettorale che

si spera possa aiutare il nostro paese a

trovare una maggiore stabilità politica e a

garantire una maggioranza certa, lascian-

doci alle spalle un sistema che produce

troppa burocrazia. Ci sono certamente

molti aspetti positivi in questa legge, ma

ci sono anche alcuni punti importanti che

io, assieme ai miei colleghi senatori eletti

all’estero, avevo proposto e che non sono

stati accolti. Vediamo più in dettaglio

alcuni elementi buoni ed altri meno buoni.

Innanzitutto, questa legge riguarda la

Camera dei Deputati. Il Senato, invece,

verrà completamente cambiato con la

riforma costituzionale che, di fatto, lo

trasformerà in una camera delle regioni

non più eletta dai cittadini. Non ci saranno

più senatori eletti all’estero, mentre rimar-

ranno dodici deputati a rappresentare gli

italiani residenti all’estero — due dei quali

verranno eletti in Centro e Nord America.

Una modifca sostanziale che, come

già rimarcato in passato, non mi trova

d’accordo e alla quale mi opporrò ancora

fnché non verrà defnitivamente approvata

e ratifcata dal referendum confermativo

che si dovrà indire.

Tornando alla legge elettorale, invece,

un elemento positivo riguarda il diritto

al voto per tutti gli italiani che si tro-

vano all’estero per un periodo limitato

di almeno tre mesi — militari, studenti,

professionisti, etc. Sarà responsabilità

dell’elettore comunicare un indirizzo

valido al proprio comune di residenza per

la consegna del plico elettorale. Inoltre, la

richiesta andrà fatta entro dieci giorni dalla

comunicazione uffciale delle elezioni,

ed il diritto al voto varrà per una sola

elezione. Verranno così aggiunti qualche

migliaio di elettori e si risponderà ad

un’esigenza di cui si erano fatti portavoce

soprattutto gli studenti universitari durante

l’ultima tornata elettorale.

Continued on page 14



Italia

Nel 1969 Philip Zimbardo, un soci-

ologo di origini siciliane, condusse un

esperimento per conto dell’Universitá di

Stanford. In una prima fase, prese due

automobili identiche e senza targa, una la

lasció in una strada del povero Bronx, NY

e l’altra nella ricca Palo Alto, California.

In poche ore, l’auto del Bronx fu

smantellata e le parti furono rubate, quella

di Palo Alto rimase intatta. Nella sec-

onda fase, Zimbardo ruppe un vetro di un

fnestrino dell’auto rimasta a Palo Alto ed

accadde la stessa cosa che era avvenuta

nel Bronx: entro poche ore l’auto venne

vandalizzata. L’esperimento dimostró che

il vandalismo non dipende solo dal livello

di povertá, ma anche dalle condizioni in

cui si trova l’oggetto vandalizzato.

Nel 1982 l’esperimento di Zimbardo

venne ripreso ed ampliato da due studiosi

di urbanistica, James Q. Wilson e George

L. Kelling e pubblicata nella rivista “The

Atlantic”. Il senso dell’articolo si puó

cosí riassumere: se in un edifcio alcune

fnestre rotte non venissero subito riparate,

i vandali ne romperebbero altre. Ed ecco

com’é nata la “Teoria delle fnestre rotte”,

che non riguarda solo le fnestre, infatti gli

autori affermarono che se un pavimento di

luogo pubblico non venisse pulito, la gente

comincerebbe a buttarvici rifuti e vadal-

izzerebbe anche ció che vi é intorno.

Il lato pratico di questa teoria venne

per primo applicato nel 1993 da un altro

italo-americano, il sindaco di New York

City Rudy Giuliani, che assunse Kelling

come consulente per trovare una soluzione

alla dilagante piaga dei graffti ed altri

mali sociali, come urinare in pubblico,

buttare rifuti per strada e non pagare il

biglietto dei mezzi pubblici.

Con i precedenti sindaci l’opinione che

questi promuovevano era che la metropoli

fosse troppo grande, con troppe etnie,

troppo disordinata e con troppi pochi fondi

a disposizione per risolvere i problemi di

vandalismo.

Applicando la teoria delle fnestre

rotte e partendo dalla convinzione che un

graffto rappresenta un invito a farne altri

se non subito ripulito, Giuliani dimostró

il contrario ed ora si puó ancora lasciare

un’auto nel Bronx senza che sia vandaliz-

zata. Applicando la stessa teoria, ottimi

risultati si ottennero anche ad Albuqueque,

New Messico e Lowell, Massachusetts,

pertanto si potrebbero anche ottenere in

Italia, se applicata da sindaci volenterosi

di farlo.

Our Italian Correspondent

Dom Serafini

Teoria delle fnestre rote per i

sindaci italiani

Broken Windows Teory for Italian

Auditors In 1969, Philip Zimbardo, a sociologist

originally from Sicily, took a test on behalf

of Stanford University. First, he took two

identical cars with no license plates, and

left each on the street: one in a poor part of

the Bronx, NY and the other in a rich area

of Palo Alto, California.

Within hours, the car of the Bronx was

dismantled and the parts were stolen, the

Palo Alto remained intact. In the second

phase, Zimbardo broke a glass of a win-

dow of the car remained in Palo Alto and

the same thing happened that had occurred

in the Bronx: within a few hours the car

was vandalized. The experiment proved

that vandalism does not depend only on

the level of poverty, but also the circum-

stances in which the object is vandalized.

In 1982, Zimbardo’s experiment was

taken up and expanded by two Urban

Studies scholars, James Q. Wilson and

George L. Kelling and published in the

magazine “The Atlantic”. The gist of the

article can be summarized thus: if in a

building, a few broken windows are not

repaired immediately, others would soon

be broken by vandals. And here’s what

was born, the “Broken windows theory”,

which concerns not only the windows,

in fact, the authors claim that if a public

foor is not clean, people will start drop-

ping trash and other waste on it so that it

becomes dirtier. .

The practical side of this theory was

frst applied in 1993 by another Italian-

American, the mayor of New York City

Rudy Giuliani. The mayor hired a con-

sultant to fnd a solution to the rampant

scourge of graffti and other social ills,

such as urinating in public, throwing trash

in the street and not paying for tickets for

public transport.

Previous mayors had follows the then

current “best wisdom” (i.e. the city was

too big, with too many ethnic groups, too

messy and too few funds available to solve

the problems of vandalism) and thus did

nothing.

However, our Italian American mayor,

applied the Theory of Broken Windows,

with the conviction that graffti is an

invitation to more graffti if not imme-

diately cleaned up; and order that the

city be cleaned. And, he demonstrated

the opposite of the then “best wisdom”.

As such, now you can leave a car in the

Bronx without it being vandalized. By

applying the same theory, good results are

obtainable everywhere (see similar results

in Albuquerque, NM, and Lowell, MA).

All because an Italian American mayor,

followed the research of a Sicilian sociolo-

gist. We might even get it clean-up Italy,

(if applied by mayors willing to do so).

Dalla chiocciola alla scimmia: l’interessante storia della @

mal raccontata

Forse oggi @ é il simbolo più famoso

e diffuso al mondo. Nelle 116 pagine di un

libro tascabile, l’autore Massimo Arcangeli

spiega l’origine e i vari nomi del simbolo

@. L’autore afferma che nel 2010 due

miliardi di persone in tutto il mondo hanno


13March 2015La Voce

Italia1500, dove era chiamato “arroba” ed era

una unità di peso.

Secondo il professor Arcangeli, la @

si é evoluta tra il sesto e il settimo secolo

dalla lettera “d” preceduta dalla “a”, che in

latino si legge “ad” e, più tardi, in inglese è

diventata “at” commerciale.

Precedentemente, in Spagna, la prepo-

sizione latina “ad” divenne un’unità di

peso designata come @ e prima chiamata

“arrúb” (dall’infuenza araba “rub”, cioè un

quarto), e più tardi “arroba”. L’unitá scritta

come @ appare in un documento del 1536:

“una @ di vino, che è 1/30 di una botte,

vale 70 o 80 ducati”.

L’ampia ricerca del prof. Arcangeli ha

trovato @ in un manoscritto bulgaro scritto

intorno all’anno 1115, in cui si indicava

con @ la lettera iniziale di “amen”.

L’ultimo capitolo del libro è dedicato

alla rappresentazione storica di @ dai ma-

noscritti alle iscrizioni in artefatti antichi,

purtroppo senza indicarne il periodo e

con molte illustrazioni senza didascalie (i

riferimenti alle immagini sono inseriti nel

testo). Questo capitolo comprende anche

una sequenza di complicate equazioni

matematiche per dimostrare l’aspetto geo-

metrico di @.

Il libro si conclude con un’estesa

bibliografa che indica come per le ricerche

l’autore sia andato a scavare persino tra la

musica dell’antica Grecia.

Una curiosità fnale é che, scritta questa

recensione non la si é potuta salvare sul

computer come @, in quanto il programma

la registra come “document1.doc”.

utilizzato il simbolo.

Il titolo del libro (edito da Castelvecchi) è

“Biografa di una chiocciola - Storia con-

L’autore, docente di linguistica italiana

presso l’Università di Cagliari, fa risalire

l’origine del simbolo @ all’epoca medi-

evale. Notiamo che un “linguista” è uno

scienziato piú che uno scrittore, che invece

tende ad utilizzare una prosa più acces-

sibile.

L’inizio del libro non è molto accatti-

vante. Si deve arrivare a pagina 16 per leg-

gere alcuni fatti interessanti, come quello

che nel 2010 il Museo di Arte Moderna di

New York City ha incluso la @ nelle sue

collezioni.

Poi bisogna saltare a pagina 19 per

scoprire che il simbolo della e-mail @ è

nato nel 1971 grazie all’ingegnere ameri-

cano Ray Tomlinson, che lo ha preso da

un simbolo raramente utilizzato nel telex e

situato sullo stesso tasto della lettera “P”.

Arcangeli ha scoperto che il simbolo sul

telex era stato a sua volta preso da una

macchina da scrivere americana costruita

nel 1883. Tomlinson lavorava sul progetto

ARPANET (che ha dato la base ad Inter-

net), tuttavia, la @ per la posta elettronica

è stata creata nel 1978 da Shiva Ayyadurai

e perfezionata nel 1982 da Abhay Bhushan

K. Negli indirizzi e-mail @ è come dire

“presso” e le é stato dato il codice binario

1000000 o 64 in numeri decimali.

Purtroppo, il linguaggio usato da Ar-

cangeli per descrivere questa evoluzione è

molto tecnico e incomprensibile per i non

esperti. L’autore avrebbe fatto un grande

favore ai lettori se avesse spiegato il tutto

in modo semplice.

Da pagina 27 a pagina 44 Arcangeli de-

scrive la storia della macchina da scrivere,

e solo a pagina 45 si ritorna ad @. In se-

guito l’autore cura l’aspetto interessante su

come @ viene chiamata in varie parti del

mondo, spesso con nomi presi dal regno

animale, come chiocciola in Italia, lumaca

in Francia, cagnolino in Armenia, Uzbeki-

stan e Russia, papero in Grecia, topolino

in Cina e Taiwan, verme in Ungheria,

scimmia in Germania mentre in Polonia

si chiama gattino. Seppur l’autore dedichi

quasi 20 pagine a questo aspetto, le numer-

ose e minuziose descrizioni sono molto

confuse, con un’esposizione poco chiara.

In Francia il nome uffciale di @ è

“arrobe”, termine arrivato dalla Spagna del

From Snail to Monkey:

Te Interesting History

of the @ symbol Maybe today the @ symbol is the most

famous and popular symbol in the world. In

116 pages of a paperback book, the author

Massimo Arcangeli explains the origin and

the various names of the @ symbol. The

author states that in 2010, two billion people

around the world have used the symbol. The

title of the book (published by Castelvecchi)

is Biography of a Snail - History confdential

The author, a professor of Italian linguis-

tics at the University of Cagliari, traces the

origin of the @ symbol back to medieval

times. We note that a “linguist” is a scientist

more than a writer, who instead tends to use

a more accessible prose.

The beginning of the book is not very

appealing. You must get to page 16 to fnd

the frst interesting facts, such as, in 2010 the

Museum of Modern Art in New York City

included the @ in its collections.

Then you have to jump on page 19 to

fnd out that the symbol of the e-mail @ was

born in 1971 thanks to the American engi-

neer Ray Tomlinson, who took it from being

a symbol rarely used in the telex and located

on the same key as the letter “P”. Archan-

gels found that the symbol on the telex was

in turn taken from an American typewriter

built in 1883. Tomlinson was working on

the ARPANET project (which gave the base

to the Internet), however, the @ for email

was created in 1978 by Shiva Ayyadurai and

perfected in 1982 by Abhay Bhushan K. In

the e-mail addresses @ is like saying “at”

and was given the binary code 1000000 or

64 in decimal.

Unfortunately, the language used by

Archangels to describe this evolution is very

technical and incomprehensible to non-

experts. The author would do a great favor to

the readers if he explained it all so simple.

From page 27 to page 44 Arcangeli

describes the history of the typewriter, and

only on page 45 returns to @. Following the

author by the interesting aspect of how @ is

called in different parts of the world, often

with names taken from the animal kingdom,

as in Italian, “snail”, “snail” in France, “little

dog” in Armenia, Uzbekistan and Russia,

“duck” in Greece, “mouse” in China and

Taiwan, “worm” in Hungary, “monkey” in

Germany (while in Poland it is called “kit-

ten”). Although the author devotes nearly

20 pages to this aspect, the numerous and

detailed descriptions are very confused, with

exposure unclear.

In France, the offcial name is @ “ar-

robe” term came from Spain in 1500, where

it was called “arroba” and it was a unit of

weight.

According to Professor Arcangeli, the

@ has evolved between the sixth and the

seventh century by the letter “d” preceded

by “a”, which reads in Latin “to” and, later,

English has become “at” commercial.

Previously, in Spain, the Latin preposi-

tion “to” became a unit of weight designated

as @ and frst call “arrúb” (Arabic infuence

“rub”, ie a quarter), and later “arroba”. The

unit written as @ appears in a document of

1536, “a @ wine, which is 1/30 of a barrel,

worth 70 or 80 ducats.”

Continued on page 14



Italia

Svolte Eletorrali...Continued from page 11

The extensive research prof. @ Archan-

gels found in a Bulgarian manuscript writ-

ten around the year 1115, which indicated

with the frst letter of @ “amen.”

The last chapter of the book is de-

voted to the historical representation of @

manuscripts inscriptions in ancient artifacts,

unfortunately without stating the period and

with many illustrations without captions

(references to the images are inserted in the

text). This chapter also includes a sequence

of complicated mathematical equations to

demonstrate the geometric aspect of @.

The book concludes with an extensive

bibliography that indicates how much

research the author has gone to dig even

between the music of ancient Greece.

A curiosity is that the fnal, written this

review is not you could save on your com-

puter as @, because the program records it

as “document1.doc”.

From Snail to Monkey...Continued from page 13

saranno i deputati eletti con le preferenze e

quanti, invece, saranno eletti grazie esclusi-

vamente ai voti ottenuti dalla propria lista.

Ciò creerà certamente proteste e disagi che,

seppur minori rispetto a quanto avveniva

con il ‘porcellum’, rischiano di aprire le

porte a nuovi ricorsi alla Corte Costituzi-

onale.

In chiusura, vorrei rivolgere un augurio

di buon lavoro al nuovo Presidente della

Repubblica, Sergio Mattarella, congratu-

landomi per la sua meritata elezione il 31

gennaio. Avrò modo di parlarne meglio

nella mia rubrica del mese prossimo,

assieme ad un caro saluto all’ex Presidente

Giorgio Napolitano.

circoscrizioni vengono controllati uno per

uno da pochi scrutinatori.

Queste proposte appena descritte,

insieme ad altre tra cui l’istituzione di un

elenco elettorale come già avviene per i

Comites, sono comunque state inserite in

un ordine del giorno già approvato e che

impegna il governo a valutarle già nei pros-

simi mesi.

Sulla legge elettorale approvata rimane

un solo e legittimo dubbio: non è ben chia-

ro, infatti, come saranno esattamente eletti

i deputati. Fortunatamente l’idea delle liste

completamente bloccate è stata superata

ma, ad ogni modo, le nuove modalità non

consentono di stabilire con certezza quanti

Quello che avremmo voluto vedere,

però, era una serie di misure mirate a

rendere le procedure di voto all’estero più

trasparenti ed affdabili. Avevamo proposto

di istituire per ogni elezione dei comitati

elettorali in ogni circoscrizione consolare.

Capeggiati dai vari Consoli e composti dai

rappresentanti di ogni lista, questi comitati

avrebbero avuto il compito di assicurare

il corretto svolgimento del voto. In questo

modo si limiterebbe anche il rischio di

duplicati o scorrettezze. In passato, ad

esempio, abbiamo sentito di persone che

hanno inviato il proprio plico elettorale

dopo essere state in Consolato a votare

di persona. Questi comitati avrebbero

garantito una maggiore trasparenza durante

le elezioni e avrebbero dato una mano ad

una rete consolare già ai limiti delle proprie

forze.

Per evitare problemi avuti nel passato,

avevamo anche proposto di creare quattro

ulteriori centri in Italia per contare i voti

delle circoscrizioni estere. Roma, invece,

è — e rimarrà — l’unico centro a ricevere i

voti da tutto il mondo. Questo fatto sortisce

l’effetto negativo di allungare i tempi per

il conteggio, ma signifca anche che chi è

predisposto a supervisionare è messo a dura

prova. Immaginatevi un grande centro in

cui oltre un milioni di voti da miglialia di

Te Cozzini Grinders of PinzoloBy Richard Scotti

Escaping Plague and Developing A Trade

Deep in the heart of the Val Rendana val-

ley of Northern Italy, nestled below the majes-

tic Dolomite mountains, is Pinzolo - the origin

of the “grinders.” (Note: a “grinder” was the

name given in Ellis Island to this unique group

of Italian immigrants in the early 1900’s).

The Cozzini family from the Pinzolo

region is well known for its contribution to

the grinder trade. The old town of Pinzolo is

shown here.

The instrument of the grinders’ trade was

a “mola,” also called a “moleta” - essentially a

large grinding stone powered by a foot pedal.

(Photo 3). Thus the grinders have also been

called “mole-

tis.” Tradition-

ally, knives were

picked up by cart

from around town,

sharpened at the

grinders’ home, and

then re-delivered.

The expansion of

the grinders’ trade

was a much needed

advancement for

the impoverished

farming community of Pinzolo. The people

of Pinzolo had endured centuries of harsh

climate, economic depression, starvation,

natural disasters, and military confict. The

black plague hit the area with devastating

effect in 1630. The “Great Fire of St. Peter

of Alcantara” ravaged the area in 1728. Wars

and confict between Italy and the Austro-

Hungarian Empire from 1859-1866 left the

region unstable and economically undevel-

oped. Increasing militarization of the Austro-

Hungarian Empire and forced military service

left the rural people with insuffcient labor to

work their lands. Destructive foods occurred

in 1882, 1885, and 1889.

In the latter decades of the 19th century,

the Austrian Hungarian Empire, as well as the

local municipalities, began imposing draco-

nian land taxes on the farmers. This resulted

in a devastating 50% plunge in land prices.

Many rural families lost their farms.

In search of new ways of earning a liv-

ing, the men of Pinzolo honed their skills

and became expert level craftsmen in knife

sharpening. Facing dire conditions at home,

the young men of Pinzolo began taking their

grinding trade to ur-

ban centers in other

countries, in the

hopes of making a

better life for their

families. This great

grinder migration

began in the middle

of the 19th cen-

tury, but exploded

around 1900. Most

of these 20th cen-

tury grinders found

their way to England, Germany, Argentina,

and America, and in still signifcant numbers

to several other countries.

Patrizio Cozzini arrived in the Port of New

York by way of the vessel La Champagne in

1899, at the age of 42, and his son Antonio

followed a few years later (1908) at age 17,

to begin their new lives. Guiseppe Cozzini,

from a separate Cozzini clan, arrived in 1905,

and eventually made his way to Chicago and

formed the famous Cozzini Bros. knife busi-

ness.


The Italian grinders took great pride in

their trade, which was relatively lucrative - al-

lowing occasional trips back home, and oppor-

tunities to bring more relatives to America. By

1907, an article published in London reported

that “In the Val Rendana nearly every boy of

energy and intelligence aspires to be a grinder

of knives and scissors.” The Wide World

Magazine, V. XVIII at 546 (George Newnes

Ltd.) (March 1907).

This great migration of Italian grinders

helped money to start fowing into Pinzolo,

eventually helping it become the winter tour-

ist attraction that it is today. A monument is

dedicated to the grinders in the main square of

Pinzolo.

As society developed, so did the grinder’s

trade. Many traveled the streets of New York

with their molas affxed to horse-drawn carts.

They serviced mostly butchers and meat pack-

ers and later restaurants. With the invention

of the automobile, grinders could eventually

carry battery-operated grinding wheels in

trucks. This made it economical to service

residents as well as commercial interests all

over town.

The Italian grinders followed an old tradi-

tion of carving up routes to avoid territorial

feuds. The custom was not to interfere with

another’s routes. To facilitate this cooperation,

the grinders formed the New York Grinders

Association in 1930. Many of the Cozzini

grinders moved out West to Los Angeles

right after World War II. Enrico Cozzini

(1911- 1955) opened up LA Grinding. A few

Cozzini’s can still be found in Los Angeles

practicing their trade in old world traditions.

(Mr. Scotti is now a District Court judge and

resident of Clark County, Nevada, since 1992.

He was born Richard Cozzini, great-great-

grandson by blood of Patrizio Cozzini)

15March 2015La Voce

Italia

Our Paesani: A Night in NapoliBy Francesca Di Meglio

Discover how to spend a few hours –

mainly eating – in one of Italy’s most alluring

cities

Naples, Italy has a reputation for being

the bad boy of Italy because of its links to

the Camorra (i.e. Neapolitan Mafa), absurd

and constant traffc violators, and the cast of

characters who inhabit the place. But the sweet

warm breeze that embraces you, the crazy lov-

able natives, dressed in loud clothes, thinking

they’re all that and yelling in dialect (all of

which is too familiar to Italian Americans who

trace our roots to Napoli), and the food that is

so delicious you want to marry it. (Seriously.

You want to marry it).

Every once in a while, --due to early

departure schedules or bad weather-- I end

up taking the boat from Ischia, a small island

and part of Naples, (and home to my ancestors

and husband), to spend a few hours or a day in

bella, calda Napoli, (Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s a

rough life).

These layovers mean one thing: pizza.

Napoli is the birthplace of pizza. After experi-

encing pizza in Napoli your taste buds seem to

truly come alive. (Think I’m exaggerating? Go

try it for yourself. Heck, even the “bad” pizza

in Napoli is better than anything you’ve eaten

in America, even in New York).

The ingredients are what make the pizza

– and all the food – so good: San Marzano

tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella di bufala,

and handmade dough. Your nose will notice

the difference with even the faintest whiff as

the sweet-smelling sauce mingles with the

basil. You know that the authentic, homegrown

ingredients are used. The very thin, crispy crust

topped with sauce and sweet, tangy mozzarella,

(made from buffalo, not cow milk) combine to

form a gift for your soul as well as your belly.

Antica Pizzeria e Friggitoria Di Matteo

is my favorite. My husband, an Ischia native,

promises to take me to L’Antica Pizzeria da

Michele, which boasts lines out the door and

a history dating back to 1870 (Someday. Ah,

someday).

There are a few other important things

about Italian pizza: First, it’s rarely sold by

the slice. You might fnd a street vendor who

allows that, but if you’re sitting down at a res-

taurant, you’re going to be ordering a personal

pizza.

Second, Margherita pizza is the original

gangsta of pizzas. This is the classic pie that a

Neapolitan chef invented for the queen known

as Regina Margherita (which is also, by the

way, the name of my mother and a couple thou-

sand other people from the region). To honor

the queen, the chef used red sauce, green basil,

and white mozzarella to create the Italian fag

in food or at least that is how the legend goes.

Third, other popular pizzas are the Napolitano

or Marinara, which is topped only with sauce,

oregano, and garlic and has a little kick to it

in the form of red pepper fakes, white pizza,

which includes only cheese, and pizza with

fried sausage and bitter greens. I’ve also really

enjoyed pizza with eggplant Parmigiana on top

or with fresh tomatoes, prosciutto, and arugula.

And fried pizza might clog your arteries, but

you will die happy.

Fourth, forget about “pepperoni” pizza

in Italy. There, the word “pepperoni” means

peppers, usually the sweet variety, and you

wouldn’t fnd it on pizza. And don’t even

mention pizza with pineapple and ham, which

shocks and offends Italians, especially Neapoli-

tans. They think it is an attack on their way of

life or something (Seriously, trust me on this

one).

Fifth, while most Italians are strictly wine

drinkers, they often suggest beer with pizza

(It’s pretty much the one exception). While

many Italian eateries serve German beers,

which are considered the best of the best in

Europe, your best bet is to try the Italian brew

from Peroni Nastro Azzurro. After all, when in

Rome, err, Naples…

Sixth, Italians eat pizza – most of the time

anyway – with a fork and knife: a sacrilege to

Americans, but civilized to Italians.

Now, some “non-pizza” must-know things:

you can top off your meal or start your morning

with an authentic Neapolitan espresso. This

is the Italian drug of choice. I just say no, but

coffee lovers should give )y. The stuff has such

a strong following that there’s a famous Nea-

politan song about it. There’s something in the

water, literally, that makes the taste out of this

world or so my husband tells me whenever he

gripes about stinky New Jersey espresso. In my

few shots, I have noticed a hint of bitterness

that can be tempered with sugar or even en-

hanced with lemon rind. My husband’s coffee

bar of choice in Napoli is Caffe Del Professore

(Remember, real Italians will laugh at you if

you order a cappuccino, which is only on the

menu for foreigners).

Ok, so I guess my time in Napoli revolves

around food. But, let’s not forget to take a mo-

ment to look at the view of the Bay of Naples

(especially at night) and people-watch. If you

can catch a glimpse of Vesuvius, all the better.

Di Meglio uses the written word to help

families create memories and stick together.

You can follow her on Facebook at Francesca’s

Newlyweds Nest and on Twitter @Italian-

Mamma10.


“The child is parent of the adult”

--so believed the Romans for almost

all of their 1,000+ year history in the

West. Life’s lessons fowed from that

premise. “What you are as a child

is what you became as an adult.” If

your father was a baker, you’d start

the day learning to read, write and do

arithmetic. Then, after lunch, you’d

learn to be a baker. If your father was

a member of the Senate, after lunch,

you’d go the Senate and learn to rule.

You’d also be expected to

exceed the expectations of

your parents and the ancestors you

worshipped in your home. Before

20, you’d join the military in order

to learn other important skills (duty,

honor, country), skills needed to de-

fend and expand Roman territory. By

the age of 30 one was ready for public

offce. The Romans called it the Cur-

sus Honorum. Of course there were

exceptions, but boys were expected to

make his parents and ancestors proud.

Frank Bonanno, founder, CEO and

president of the 50-restaurant, 900

employee, Fifth Avenue Restaurant

Group learned the Cursus Honorum

well.

Voce had the good fortune to spend

enough quality time (including two

meals --one at Trattoria Reggiano, the

other at the Italian American Club)

with Frank and Jack Borruso (VP

Concept Development), Rob (Frank’s

eldest son and EVP), and wife, Pep-

per.

It started a bit more than 70 years ago,

in New Jersey. Born to Italian im-

migrants from Sicily. His father came

from a family of eleven children and

his mother from a family of nine chil-

dren: all living nearby. The lessons

Frank shared with La Voce remind us

of Marcus Aurelius. So, like savoring

The Meditations, let’s enjoy our les-

sons from Frank Bonanno:

From his father, the necessity of a

strong work ethic and the futility of

complaining about hard work.

Frank’s dad built homes and special-

ized in masonry. It isn’t easy work-

ing outside during cold New Jersey

winters, but the work must be done so

there’s no point complaining and cut-

ting corners isn’t an option. One must

always take pride in one’s work;

1974, after 4 years in the Army and

another 4 at ARA, Frank teamed up

with three like-minded associates to

form a business that contracted food

services to area schools --more hard

work. . “In those early days, we were

working 90 hours a week but enjoyed

what we were doing”;

1976 the partners formed Fairfeld

Foods and began opening cookie

shops in malls across the country.

They did very well; eventually grow-

ing into a chain of 75 com-

pany owned, cookie shop

locations;

1983, down to two partners, they

opened their frst Haagen Dazs fran-

chise “just for fun” and then continued

opening Haagen Dazs franchises in

major shopping centers;

1989 the two partners opened their

frst Nathan’s Famous franchise;

1993 their initial foray into Las Ve-

gas via opening a Haagen Dazs and

Nathan’s Famous in the MGM Grand

Food Court and a Nathan’s Famous in

the MGM Grand Theme Park;

They realized that by expanding the

brand portfolio they could open mul-

tiple restaurants in the major hotels.


Food & Dining

Te Best of the Best:Lessons from Frank Bonnano

By Edward Bevilacqua


17March 2015La Voce

Food & DiningThey then began opening proprietary

brands along with Haagen Dazs and

Nathan’s Famous franchises;

2001, Following the 9/11 tragedy,

Frank bought out his partner’s interest

and re-located the business to Las

Vegas.

From his mother, a love of food,

cooking, humility, loyalty and large

families

Living in close proximity to the

families of his 20 aunts and uncles, he

learned that food was more than just

nourishment and sustenance; the din-

ing table is an essential place and time

for family bonding and instructions in

the lessons of life.

Sunday dinners with all family mem-

bers: mandatory, because meals aren’t

just for eating, they are where life’s

major events are shared. Perhaps

that’s why Italian restaurants are the

number one place people choose to go

to celebrate: Italians see meals differ-

ently than others.

From his immigrant family members,

to go where the opportunity leads

Graduating from culinary school in

order to perfect the lessons learned

from his mother and family about how

meals are a vital to life;

Joining the Army and becoming an

offcer as part of doing his duty and

to further refne his food service and

related skills, and to demonstrate that

exceeding expectations leads to suc-

cess;

Joining ARA Services (now Aramark)

in 1970 and going where they sent

him in order to further develop and

refne his food and dining skills;

Creating a chain of cookie shops and

then selling it to Mrs. Fields Cookies

in order to be better prepared to take

advantage of even larger opportuni-

ties;

Moving to Las Vegas to be able to ap-

ply and focus on specifc opportunities

arising from great market.

From his family and friends, the

importance of luck and that “Fortune

favors the bold”

Lucky to have a family that supported

and encouraged his culinary and mili-

tary careers;

Lucky to be assigned by the Army to

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas;

Lucky to be placed in charge of the

Offcers Club;

Lucky to learn that the General’s wife

loved to host parties which Frank

managed;

Lucky to have the General change

his orders in order to keep him at

Fort Leavenworth for his full time of

service. (NOTE: Frank was named

Veteran Business Man of the year in

2012 by the National Veteran Owned

Business Association’s Vetrepreneur

Magazine);

Today, Fifth Avenue Restaurant Group

operates ffty restaurants: 49 high

volume premier franchise and propri-

etary brands (including their newest

concept, “Prime Burger” now opening

in the Venetian) which are located in

major casino properties in Las Vegas,

and their second Trattoria Reggiano

which will be opening soon in Sum-

merlin.

Those who work with and for Frank

learn the lessons he learned as a child:

working hard and taking pride in one’s

work, family, exceeding the expecta-

tions of others, etc. Thus proving

once again that the Romans were

right: the child is parent of the adult.

Frank’s ancestors must be resting easy

because he has indeed made them

proud… he makes us all proud.

“ The only superstar in our kitchens is

the food”

Trattoria Reggiano

Nathan’s Famous

Haagen Dazs

Johnny Rockets

New York Pretzel

Bonanno’s New York Pizzeria

NYP Pizzeria

Original Chicken Tender

San Gennaro Burger

Tacos & Ritas’

Pan Asian Express

L.A. Subs & Salads

New York Apple


March is mostly exalted for the pass-

ing of winter into spring, and for the Feast

of St. Joseph, provider for the Holy family,

and patron of the Holy Catholic Church,

and the Patron Saint of all of Italy. Saint

Joseph is traditionally honored on March

19th.

It began in Sicily in the Middle Ages

after a drought ravaged the land, and the

people were starving. They turned to St.

Joseph, their beloved patron, and

prayed for providence to come

to them from the throne of God.

Their prayers were answered, as

rain fnally came on March 19th,

which also happened to be the

feast of St. Joseph, the one they

had prayed to. The land was re-

plenished, and began to yield once

again; so the people promised in

thanksgiving that they would hon-

or the saint every year on his feast

day. Wealthy families prepared

huge buffets. They then invited the

less fortunate people of the village,

especially the homeless and sick,

by opening their homes to anyone

who wants to come in and share in their

good fortune. The “Table of St. Joseph”

has since become an age old tradition

among the faithful of all economic classes

of Italians here and abroad.

In my home town of Patti Marina,

Sicily, we were poor and were always

scrounging for food during, and after,

World War II; yet somehow on religious

holidays more food seemed to miracu-

lously appear than I had known in a year.

I remember this celebration as a child in

Patti Marina, when, every March 19th, my

mother set up a “Tavola di San Giuseppe”

(“Saint Joseph’s Table”), in our home, to

give thanksgiving to God for His divine

providence, and to share good food with

our family, friends and neighbors. It was

always full of wonderful victuals typi-

cal of this feast day. There were bowls of

dried fruit and nuts like ‘fcchi’ and ‘noc-

ciole’ (Figs and Hazelnuts). A tray piled

up with fresh baked breads, a bowl with an

Insalata of fresh blood oranges, Minestro-

ne, seafood dishes like ‘calamari’, or ‘pol-

po’ (octopus in a savory tomato sauce),

stuffed artichokes, and pans of baked pasta

with eggplant. There were some sweets as

well, which ordinarily in our poverty, we

were seldom allowed to have, and my fa-

vorite was the “Sfngi”, or St. Joseph Frit-

ters. It is an amazing simple dessert made

of puff pastry dough, fried golden brown

and sprinkled with sugar. My mother was

making them all day because they were

best served hot; but few ever had a chance

to get cold, especially with me and my 7

brothers and sisters “helping” ourselves

while we were helping her.

Likewise, in many small towns

throughout Italy, a more elaborate celebra-

tion traditionally begins with a religious

tableau in the home of a wealthy villager,

or in a gathering place for the local church.

Selected townspeople portray Jesus, Mary

and Joseph, with an older man, a lovely

young woman, and a little child. The three

are seated at the head table. They remain

there during the early part of the festivity.

Others accompanying this “Holy Fam-

ily” are twelve men or boys, representing

the Apostles and other children, attired as

angels. The effect of the table design is

solemn, yet festive and inspiring. Much

symbolism is contained in its shape and

decoration. A main feature of the décor,

are some small wooden “steps”, which

represent St Joseph’s craft as carpenter

and the ascent from earth to heaven. On

the topmost step is a statue of St. Joseph

or a picture of the Holy Family.

White linen tablecloths cover the

table. Vigil lights of green, brown

and deep yellow, representing St.

Joseph’s attire, are placed ev-

erywhere. Palms may be placed

nearby and around the room, as

well as white Easter lilies. White

carnations placed on the table, lend

softness; and together with incense

used in the opening ceremony,

the scents are suggestive of the

fragrance of heaven and the sweet-

ness of salvation. The simple food

dishes represent the harvest, and

God’s divine providence. Breads

are baked in the shapes of a staff,

a carpenter’s implement, the cross, and

animals close to the Infant Child at birth.

These shapes represent St. Joseph and the

life of Christ. Minestras (vegetable soups),

are made of lentils, favas and other types

of beans, together with escarole, broccoli

or caulifower. Other vegetables, celery,

boiled fennel stalks, and stuffed arti-

chokes, are also served. The village priest

blesses the food, and then the “Holy Fam-

ily” is served frst by the host and hostess.

All of the other guests are free to come

and go as they wish. They may eat what

they choose and as much as pleases them.

The festival lasts most of the day and well

into the night. When all have been fed,

they go on their way with thankful hearts

and take the blessing of the host and host-

ess, and the priest, with them.

In some places it had been also cus-


Food & Dining

Sapori e Bonta’Della Cucina Regional Italiana

by Chef Franco Brigandi

La Tavola di San Giuseppe ~ A Great Italian Tradition

From Left, Chef Brigandi with wife, Rebecca, along with Freda

Oldfeld and Bud Bedell


19March 2015La Voce

Food & Diningtomary in small villages, for the town’s

offcials to arrange a public buffet in St.

Joseph’s honor. The banquet table invari-

ably stands in the public square, opposite

the doors of the cathedral. The table is

usually built around two sides of the

piazza in the form of a right angle. These

municipal tables might not be as elabo-

rately decorated as those in the homes, but

many times are laden with choice foods

and wines contributed by the wealthier

villagers. The people come to this public

table at some time during the day to pay

homage to the great saint, and to have

their fll of his providence. A large statue

of St. Joseph from the church is usually

displayed prominently, and of course the

breads of St Joseph are piled around it.

The Italian American community, here

in Las Vegas, celebrates the St. Joseph

Table in Catholic parish churches through-

out the city. I have contributed my Sicilian

“Sfngi” to some of these celebrations,

over the past three years, at the Guardian

Angel Cathedral on Las Vegas Blvd., St.

Francis of Assisi in Henderson, and at St.

Joseph Husband of Mary on West Sahara.

During the twenty years of running

my restaurant, the Villa Santa Monica, in

St. Augustine, Florida, I closed on every

March 19th, in honor of St. Joseph. Our

employees were asked to volunteer their

time on this day, because we would be

closed to our paying customers, and we

donated all of the food and my cooking

labor for this feast. If they declined, they

could have the day off, no hard feelings,

and our volunteers who picked up the

guests, stayed to serve. We set up one table

with a statue of St. Joseph, an earthenware

jug to represent him as Provider for the

Holy family, white fowers, candles, and a

large loaf of bread. A priest came to bless

the restaurant and all of the food. Then

with the help of Catholic Charities and the

local Council on Aging, we bussed in all

of the ambulatory nursing home patients

from 3 counties, and had volunteers go out

and pick up the homebound elderly from

their homes and the homeless from the

street corners. We few three fags outside

the restaurant: the Italian fag, the Ameri-

can fag, and the Vatican fag. The arrival

of our blessed guests came in pre-planned

shifts throughout the day. We served them

on our china, real glass goblets, real silver-

Ingredients: *8 cups of Water;

1 lb. unsalted Butter;

4 cups of All Purpose Flour;

A pinch of Salt;

1 Cup of granulated Sugar;

4 Tbs.Vanilla Extract;

1 Tbsp. Almond Extract;

Zest of 1 whole Lemon and 1 whole

orange;

16 Eggs;

2 qts. frying oil;

Extra granulated sugar, and powdered

sugar.

Preparation: * Pour water into an 8 Qt. Stainless

Steel Pot (never aluminum or non

stick) and set over High Heat.

* Add the Salt, Sugar, the Butter

stick, Vanilla and Almond Extracts,

and grate the skin of a Lemon and and

an Orange into the pot. (Avoid the

white part below the skin). Bring to a

Boil.

* Add all of the four at once. With

a wooden spoon begin folding the

four into the liquid. Lower the heat

to low. Continue to fold dough with

the wooden spoon for 5 to 10 minutes

until you hear a hissing sound, and

the dough detaches from the pan and

forms a smooth ball. Turn off Heat.

* Put the dough into a large stainless

steel bowl. Cover with a dry kitchen

towel and leave for 45 minutes until

cool. Then put the dough into a mixer

bowl with whisk attachment. Mix at

Medium speed.

* Add the eggs one at a time until

all mixed in and the dough becomes

silky and has a golden color. Let it

rest for about 1 hour.

* In a basket fryer or a large stock-

pot, add frying oil. put on high heat.

When the oil is hot (hand fick a few

drops of water, and if it sizzles it

is ready), drop a blob of the dough

from a large table spoon into the hot

oil. Let them swim around until are

golden brown all over. (You can push

them a little, once in a while, with a

wooden spoon to make sure they roll

over to get uniformly browned)

* When the sfngi batch are ready,

take them from the hot oil with a

slotted spoon and put them on a tray

covered with paper towels to drain,

and sprinkle frst with granulated

sugar (to give them sparkle), and

then with powdered sugar. Continue

to make more batches the same way

until all the dough is used. If you feel

you have too much dough you can

refrigerate it for up to a week and fry

up more sfngi later.

Buon Appetito!I would like to share my recipe for “Sfngi”, or St. Joseph Fritters.

ware, and cloth napkins, a spaghetti din-

ner, with salad, bread, tea or coffee, and

of course, Sfngi, all they could eat. Many

of these elderly people never left their

nursing homes in a year, because they had

no one to take them out anywhere. They

looked forward to St. Joseph’s table every

March, and dressed in their best clothes,

hats, gloves and all. It was very touch-

ing whenever any of these octogenarians

would accidently meet again at our St Jo-

seph Table, after many years of having lost

contact; and who had known each other

from their youth, but happened to be liv-

ing in different nursing homes. The tearful

but happy reunions had us all crying. This

phenomenon seemed to happen every year.

Sometimes our regular customers would

walk in, not having heard we were closed,

and we always invited them to stay and eat

for free. Many who stayed usually insisted

on leaving a donation, which we gave to

Catholic charities.


When I ask people, “Where’s

the heart of Italian culture in the

US today?” I usually (and quickly)

get, “New York” or “Chicago”.

Indeed, New York and Chicago are

two cities with the largest Italian

American populations (accord-

ing the the US Census Bureau --a

link to which can be found on the

National Italian American Founda-

tion’s (NIAF) website).

When I ask people, “Why do you

say that?” I usually (but not so

quickly) get, “Because that’s where

most Italians immigrated to and

where the highest concentrations

have stayed”. Indeed, everyone

who came here from Italy did so

because they wanted to (i.e. for

opportunity) or they had to. My

grandfather and his twin brother

came over in 1914, at the age of 15,

to avoid religious persecution in

a government that was repressive

towards Catholics.

When I ask people, “Can you imag-

ine Las Vegas as the ‘epicenter’ of

Italian American culture today?”

I usually have to explain what I

mean by that; (like planting a seed)

because other than the 100,000 to

150,000 Italian Americans who

live in the Las Vegas Metropolitan

Statistical Area, few give much

thought to the idea of Las Vegas

as the epicenter. We see life as we

live it: either we live in an area

with a lot of Italian Americans (and

draw conclusions therefrom), or we

live in the other type of area (and

probably wish there were more Ital-

ian Americans). Then, I can almost

see the idea take root as they agree:

they can imagine it. And, once the

idea is frmly rooted, it becomes

clear, “Yes, I see that Las Vegas is,

and should be, the epicenter of Ital-

ian American culture today; those

other cities are mostly comprised

of Italian American culture based

upon the past.” The past is great,

it’s important; it’s vital. However,

just because it was the epicenter, it

doesn’t mean that it is the epicenter

today. Life changes; and we see

that its changing faster than ever

before.

There are over 15 million Italian

Americans in the U.S. (According

the the US Census Bureau)

Almost 50% live in the Northeast

27 states have more than 100,000

Italian American residents, includ-

ing:

13 with more than 250,000;

9 with more than 500,000; and

5 with more than 1,000,000. In-

deed, 10% of the states have more

than 1 million Italian Americans!

People are more mobile than ever

before

More physically mobile and

More socially mobile because of

the Internet.

Almost 42 million people are ex-

pected to visit Las Vegas in 2015

125,000 hotel rooms in this market;

1.5 to 2.5 million Italian Americans

visit Las Vegas each year.

Las Vegas is thus one of the largest

Italian American Communities in

the U.S.

Las Vegas is a melting pot, com-

prised of Italian Americans who,

almost exclusively, moved here in

the past 30 years: each brought part

of their Italian American commu-

nity with them; mixing with oth-

ers, thus accentuating the positive

and letting the others atrophy and

disappear..

The Las Vegas community is com-

prised of a large number of mobile

residents (as opposed to permanent

residents) who, like honeybees,

come, gather, return to whence

they came, share and produce more

because of what they gathered.

Thus, in addition to being one of

the largest communities, “What

happens in Vegas, [does not] stay

in Vegas!” (contrary to the City’s

slogan). Las Vegas is like a great

San Francisco Cioppino: start with

great ingredients, add heat, stir,

wait, then indulge and tell everyone

how great it was..

Three factors combine to make Las

Vegas today’s epicenter of Italian

American culture:

The great migration of permanent

residents to Las Vegas over the past

30 years (i.e. people who brought

parts of home with them);

The massive number of mobile

residents (i.e. almost 42 million)

who come here, absorb our cul-

ture then share it with others back

home; and

The mobile residents come to

spend money for business and

pleasure.


Features

All Roads Lead to Vegasby Edward Bevilacqua


21March 2015La Voce

Features

6125 S. Valley View Blvd., Ste. D

Las Vegas, NV 89118

Phone: 702-871-8616

Fax: 702-871-8617

www.sienafoodslasvegas.com

[email protected]

Siena Foods

Italian Market

y g y

Romantic Dinners, Parties or Weddings - Make your reservations now - Tour our Bistro


The three factors create demand for

“the best of the best” (and, equally

important, they insure that Las Ve-

gas doesn’t become stagnant).

As a consequence, Las Vegas has

some of the world’s best of ev-

erything: best food & dining, best

entertainment, best fashion, best

construction (scale, variety and

quality), best lawyers and doctors.

And, it’s all relatively brand new:

most buildings are less than 30

years old. The consequence of Las

Vegas being the home for many of

the “best of the best” is that Las

Vegas now plays a vital role in

perpetuating our Italian American

culture and keeping it fresh.

What is our Italian American cul-

ture?

It starts with “our people” who

pursued their dreams of a better

life (e.g. more opportunity, warmer

climate, etc.);

Those people build buildings that

equal or exceed anything built any-

where on earth today (they build

them with the highest quality ma-

terials and craftsmanship) because

that’s what the market demands;

These magnifcent buildings

--many of the most magnifcent are

based upon Italian/Roman themes

(Caesars Palace, The Venetian, The

Palazzo, The Bellagio)-- attract

mobile residents and businesses

that supply almost any service that

money can buy;

These services meet or exceed what

most mobile residents experience

back home, thus providing good

memories; and

These good memories cause people

to: a) stay longer, b) come back

more often and c) tell their friends.

That’s our culture: passionate Ital-

ian Americans working hard to

exceed expectations because that’s

what it takes to get people to travel

to the middle of nowhere in order

to have a great time. So, where’s

the heart of Italian American cul-

ture today? All roads DO lead to

Vegas...


Features


23March 2015La Voce



The Italian American Club of Southern

Nevada, The Augustus Society and the Sons

of Italy have come together to promote our

scholarship programs to the Italian American

community in Clark County in order to attract

all qualifed applicants.

In 2014 the Italian American Club

awarded $6,000 to Italian American Clark

County students; the largest amount ever given

in the Club’s 54 year history. This year, in

April, the Club will award $10,000 to those

attending college, university or a vocational

school in 2015.

The Augustus Society will award $10,000

in scholarships. In their 32 year history, The

Augustus Society has awarded over $850,000

in scholarships to Clark County Italian Ameri-

can students. And, the local chapter of the

national Sons of Italy organization will award

$1,000.00 in April.

Because a large number of the Italian

American Club’s 600 members are also

members of The Augustus Society and Sons

of Italy, the three organizations have agreed to

collectively promote their scholarships in order

to attract all qualifed applicants.

“We will combine the April 26th awards

ceremonies to be held at the Italian American

Club in order to best recognize the recipients

of the awards. This will be a special day,” said

Club President, Angelo Cassaro.

The Las Vegas community should be aware

of the three largest local Italian American

organizations’ efforts to make a difference by

awarding a substantial amount of scholarships.

The three organizations will market their own

websites through the Review Journal, LaVoce,

Ciao Tutti, and other social media. Each

organization will share links to each other’s

websites, and each organization’s application

and qualifcation process remains its own.

And, it is possible applicants to be awarded

multiple scholarships.

“This will be the frst time since the 1990

Columbus Day Parade that all three organi-

zations will be working together for such a

worthy cause”, said Cassaro. As a member of

all three organizations for nearly 30 years, I

think it is great to work together and still have

our own identity.

Help spread the word. Let’s get all quali-

fed applicants by the March 15th deadline.

Download applications from:

www.iacvegas.com;

www.augustus.org;

www.sonsoftalylasvegas.com



Te Italian AmericanScholarships


One great Italian and fve excep-

tional Las Vegas entertainers have

been inducted into the Las egas

Entertainers Hall of Fame and Mu-

seum. They were honored on January

28, 2015 at the Mad Greek Café in Las

Vegas for their individual talent and

contributions of their fabulous tal-

ent they bring to the showrooms and

stages. These are individuals that have

contributed their talents to bring joy to

everyone.

Dondino arrived in Las Vegas in

1980 and started performing in the

Lounge in the Frontier Hotel. When

they closed the lounge he went Down-

town to the Four Queens. What started

out as a few weeks booking ended up

to playing there for 13 years (a Guin-

ness World Record). He left for Bran-

son MO to open his own theater there.

Then three years ago he came back to

our town and has made Las Vegas his

home again and was offcially wel-

comed home by the Italian American

Club. The Hall of Fame plaque honors

Dondino as a Headliner. We all love

the handsome and talented Dondino

with his sweet loving voice.

Marty Allen is a 93 year old su-

perstar entertainer that is just as sharp

and funny as the day he started work-

ing the stages of Las Vegas. His love

for people shines through as he takes

the time to welcome everyone that

comes to talk to him and take pictures

with them. Marty was presented with

a Lifetime Achievement in Comedy

Award. Marty was honored along with

his beautiful wife Karon Kate Black-

has performed with Marty

for twenty years. She is the straight

lady with her music to his funny clean

comedy. They are fabulous together.

Kate was awarded a plaque for being a

Five Star Performer.

Another 93 year old artist Don Hill

has been performing for decades with

the great sounds of his saxophone. He

was the co-founder of The Treniers

and they performed all over the world

and across the country. It was time to

appreciate him and honor him. Bruce

Commander Garrett has been recog-

nized for his achievement in Broadcast

Media with his radio show “Nights

over Las Vegas with the Commander”.

He is part of the KLAV family and

has been interviewing local entertain-

ers for many years. Gary Campbell

was recognized for his many achieve-

ments in broadcast media. He was the

host of “Backstage Live” with Connie

Ross. He has been on the airwaves for

40 years interviewing celebrities and

reporting the news of Las Vegas hap-

penings.

Miguel Guidos aka the Disco

DJ was the emcee for the event and

he was a steam roller party machine

that kept the party alive. He brought

along his dancers who entertained the

inductees and the many family and

friends that attended the event. The

Showgirls, Julie C. Langille, chore-

ographer, Jennifer Roberts, Mallory

Huck from Showgirls Across America,

Dancer Kathy Klems from Casino,

Christina Shaw from Legends, Sabrina

Russo, Hoop Artist from Cirque and

Michael Jackson Tribute Artist, San-

tana Jackson all added to the celebra-

tion.

Gayle Schreiber is the Director of

the Las egas Hall of Fame & Mu-

seum and was instrumental in bringing

all these talented inductees together to

honor and acknowledge them for their

showmanship and their contribution

.Gayle began the Hall of Fame with

Jean Bennett, the manager and agent

for Buck Ram Platters.

Photos by Nikki Artale

25March 2015La Voce


Las Vegas Entertainers Hall of Fame Honors Six Performers

By Nikki Artale

Dondino

Karon Kate Blackwell with Marty Allen


ednesday, March 4 @ 6:00 pm:

Monthly Membership meeting.

As always, this fun evening

starts with seeing old friends and

meeting new ones. It’s best to arrive

to at 5:30, have a cocktail or glass of

wine in the lounge before our special

Italian buffet ($10.00). Dinner is

served at 6:30 pm. The meeting

starts promptly at 7 pm.

In order to encourage members to

introduce non-members, the Club

will comp dinner for your guest.

In order to qualify for this great

beneft, you must make reservations

through the Club’s website (www.

iacvegas.com) by clicking on the

Membership Dinner Reservation

link or by calling Edward Bevi-

lacqua at 765 537 8480. Everyone

interested in becoming a member is

welcome to attend (NOTE: members

do not have to make reservations

for the Monthly Members din-

ner). When the dinner and meeting

is over, the fun really starts in the

lounge!

Thursday, March 5 @ 7:00 pm:

Jazzin’ Jeanne Brei &

“Laissez les bon temps roulez”

(Let the good times roll)! It’s Mardi

Gras time and Jazzin’ Jeanne Brei

(fresh from her appearance as a

contestant on “Who Wants To Be

A Millionaire - airing March 2 on

ABC-TV) & The Speakeasy Swing-

ers will be celebrating with a Dix-

ieland fair. Swanky Supper Club

Soiree! The 7-piece swing band will

be playing Dixieland songs from the

Louis Armstrong Songbook along

with some other Great American

Song Book favorites. Make din-

ner reservations beginning at 5 p.m.

Cover is $10 per person and includes

three raffe tickets for show tickets

on the Las Vegas Strip, massage,

dinners and more. 702 457 3866

Thursday, March 12 @ 11:30 am:

F.I.O.R.E. monthly luncheon.

This month during the Fun

Italians Organizing Ridiculous

Events, President Nelson Sardelli

will present an intriguing program

by Stephen Braude, professor of

philosophy, author and a paranormal

investigator and authority on psychic

phenomena. A great Italian buffet

lunch, always great music by the

Grammy award-winning Gary An-

derson Trio, plus lots of fun, gifts,

raffes and some not so politically

correct jokes and singers. RSVP a

must. www. nonclubclubfore@aol.

com

Sunday, March 15 @ 4pm:

incent Falcone Honors

Robert Goulet

This promises to be an unforget-

table afternoon of entertainment,

“Remembering Robert: a celebra-

tion of the life and songs of Robert

Goulet”.

Vincent Falcone is best known

for having been Frank Sinatra’s

conductor, arranger and accompa-

nist. But he has also worked with

the likes of Tony Bennett, Andy

illiams, Connie Francis, The

Maguire Sisters, Jack Jones, Al

Martino, and, arguably, the greatest

leading man in the history of musi-

cal theatre, Robert Goulet.

Re-creating 15 of Robert’s most

memorable numbers, including “If

Ever I Would Leave You”, “On a

Clear Day” and “My Love, Forgive

Me”, is veteran Las Vegas vocalist,

Glenn Williams, who reveres Goulet

as the performer who inspired him

to become a singer. In fact, he still

cherishes letters and photos Robert

sent him, when Glenn was a young-

ster, encouraging his show business

ambitions.

“Remembering Robert” is an-

other in the series of ‘stage biogra-

phies’ presented, each month at the

Italian-American Club by producer

and writer, Frank LaSpina. Previ-

ous production stories include Perry

Como, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin

and, yes, Old Blue Eyes. All ticket

proceeds beneft the Musical Arts

Scholarship Program, a non-proft

organization co-founded by LaSpina

and Katherine Ferguson in 2006,

which has provided free musical

education to well-over a hundred

local youths. Audiences are always

surprised by the research LaSpina

does on his subjects and engaged

by the rare photos and flm clips he

projects onto giant screens fanking

the stage.

April 12th will be the stage biog-

raphy of Tony Bennett, with special

guest star, the dean of Cleveland,

Ohio vocalists, Vince Mastro. For

tickets, visit the Club’s website:

www.iacvegas.com. Tickets are

half-price for members. To learn

more about the Musical Arts Schol-

arship Program, go on-line to: musi-

calartsofnevada.org.

ednesday, March 18 @ 8:00 pm:

Come see Chadwick perform

“GOLDEN” with special guest

singer Naomi Mauro. Donation only

$20; purchase online at www.iacve-

gas.com call for dinner reservations

prior to the show at 702 457 -3866.



Tis Month at the Italian American Club


First off, I am pleased to announce that I

have been enlisted as an entertainment staff

writer for La Voce --the voice of Italian Ameri-

cans everywhere. .

I love when dreams become reality. I

remember 15 years ago when La Voce was just

a thought and, in conversation, I would hear

people saying that it would be noble to have

an Italian American’s voice in this, thriving

and always developing Las Vegas community,

hence La Voce. Now, 14 years hence, national

distribution. This reality was once a dream.

My monthly column will feature what and

who’s happening in the entertainment industry

and aside from the featured stories, I will offer

inside knowledge on what it takes to be in one

of the most exciting and diffcult professions:

show business!

There are Italians, Italian Americans,

American Italians, who were able to capture

the world with their God-given talents. How-

ever, above and beyond the expectations is one

man, a man who could have accepted his short

falls, but he didn’t; though only 3’ 11” tall, he’s

lived a big life with total fulfllment.

Born January 11, 1937 in a small town

near Rome Italy, Felix Anthony Silla (Abru-

zzi) stands tall at 3’11” and weighs about

70 pounds. This 78 year old man has had an

outstanding career as a circus performer, a stunt

man, and television and flm actor most of his

life.

One of his most outstanding roles was the

beloved Cousin Itt, the long hairy member

of the ABC hit series The Addams Family.

Although the show only lasted two years, the

show still re-runs today and is a television

favorite. However, virtually no one knew who

Cousin Itt was. “The character was introduced

in the 19th episode” states Silla. Call time was

3:00 a.m. because it took 3 hours to be made

up using nine different pieces. Shoot time was

at 7:00 a.m. and sometimes it would rain where

the shoot was cancelled and I had to take off

all the make-up. “What a pain!” states Felix,

because in those days they had to use acetone

to remove the glue and it hurt.”

In 1955 Felix immigrated to the United

States to join his older brother. He arrived in

New York on a ship the day before Thanksgiv-

ing. ” It was freezing cold!” states Silla. Not

able to speak English yet, at 16 Silla landed

a job with the Ringling Bros. Barnum and

Bailey Circus, where there were many circus

people who could speak Italian and Spanish.

He became an acrobat, bareback rider,

trapeze artist and tumbler with the circus, a

job that lasted until 1962. “The circus laid the

ground work for my television and flm career”

states Silla. While working as a promotion’s

character for Pacifc Ocean park in Santa

Monica, Silla was discovered by a gentleman

from MGM Studios who was looking for a

little person to do some stunts for a little boy

in a movie called “A Turkish Affair” staring

Gig Young and Shirley Jones.” My job was to

double for a little kid that was tied to a weather

balloon,” Silla said.

“For several hours a

day I would be strapped

to a harness and dangle

from a crane to simu-

late being held aloft by

a giant balloon.” The

job led to others and

eventually a new career

was born for Silla.

He was a child

gorilla in “Planet of the

Apes” (1968) alongside

Charlton Heston, a

robot in the TV series

“Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” (1979),

an Ewok in “Star ars: Episode

“Return of the Jedi” (1983), a stunt duck in

“ ” (1986), and many more

Television and flm roles. You may remember

him as the Leprechaun in the hit TV series

Bonanza (1963).

What a surprise it was for me to learn that

Felix and his wife, Sue, of 49 years are Las

Vegas residents. They moved to Northwest Las

Vegas nine years ago to be near their children

and grandchildren.

Felix tells me that he and his wife are the

only members of their biological family that

are small, “little people we are called”. His two

daughters, one son and three grandchildren are

all normal size. Felix and Susan were married

in 1965.

e dealt a hand

that may appear

faith in God and a positive mental attitude

even a man standing 3’11’’ can become a

giant.

Tony Sacca has been a Las Vegas resident

since 1981. He is a veteran Las Vegas enter-

tainer, and a long time TV host and producer.

Just released through Mascot Publishing Tony

Sacca, Las Vegas Ambassador of Entertain-

ment, A 50 Year Journey. www.tonysacca.

com.

27March 2015La Voce


People to Know

By Tony Sacca, Entertainment Ambassador

Its Italian


From Ancient Rome to today,

Italians are innately predisposed to

envision, create, and strive for the

great things. Blessed with this genetic

code, as host of my Emmy nominated

TV series, Toolbelt Diva, and author

of my book series, Norma Vally’s

Fix-Ups, I’ve been able to empower

people nationwide to tackle home

design and improvement. Now a Las

Vegas resident, “La Casa” is my way

to inform and inspire La Voce read-

ers with the best of Southern Nevada

so that they may create a home that is

simply the best—always giving a nod

to Italian culture and innovation!

The Italian culture has so much

to offer, but if I had to pick one of its

grapes, I mean greats, wine produc-

ing would undoubtedly make Italy’s

top-10 list of grand accomplishments.

In fact, Italy produces more wine than

any other country in the world—al-

most 1/3 of all global wine manufac-

turing!

It was the ancient Greeks that

frst recognized the ideal climate and

fertile earth for grape growing in Sic-

ily and southern Italy. They imported

vines from Greece and named that re-

gion Oenotria, “Land of Wine.” Fast

forward 3000 years, today grapes are

grown in almost every region of Italy,

making this country home to a stag-

gering one million+ vineyards!

Yes, Italians (and Italian-Amer-

icans!) love wine, but they’re cer-

tainly not alone. Experts have been

reporting steady rises in worldwide

wine production and consumption for

decades—giving a whole new mean-

ing to the term, raise a glass! For

the past 22 years US wine sales have

been rising at a rate of 2-3% per year.

In 2013, the estimated retail value of

wine shipments in the US was $36.3

billion. Last year, for the frst time

in history, US wine consumption has

exceeded that of France, formerly the

highest wine consuming country in

the world.

Americans are indeed buying and

drinking wine in record numbers and

given our entrepreneurial spirit it’s not

surprising that we’re producing it at

an all time high. The US is now the

fourth-largest wine producing country

in the world after

Spain, France, and

Italy.

So what does

that mean for

Southern Nevadans

and visitors to this

part of the coun-

try? A lot more

than you might

expect!

Back in the 1990s

Jack Sanders, a

native of Marin

County, California, had a vision of

turning Pahrump into Nevada’s Wine

Country. Wine country in the middle

of the Mojave Desert? Yes! Sanders

recognized that this region was quite

similar to the sunny dry climate of

Southern Italy and California’s Cen-

tral Valley. Adding to the allure was it

being positioned between Las Vegas

and Death Valley—under an hour

away from two of the states hottest

tourist spots. It occurred to him that

given the right growing conditions

and proximity to millions of yearly

tourists Pahrump would be an ideal

home for wineries.

A passionate and accomplished

grape grower and winemaker, Sanders

is also a designer and visionary. Work-

ing with an architect, he designed and

built his frst winery in a Mediterra-

nean Mission architecture style, and

in 2005, inery

produced Nevada’s frst commercial

red wine in the state’s history.

In an interview with Mr. Sanders,

he laughed and agreed when I called

him the Grandfather of Southern Ne-

vada Wine Country, but retorted, “Just

please don’t mix up ‘Grandfather’

with ‘Godfather’.”

It took a few years for Pahrump

Valley Winery to hit its stride, but it

eventually got noticed. In 2003 Sand-

ers sold his winery to winemakers

Bill & Gretchen Loken, a couple who

shared the same vision, recognizing

great potential for this winery and

the region in general. The Lokens

made major renovations to the entire

property and since 2004, Pahrump

Valley Winery has received 388 Na-


Creators

La CasaBy Norma Valley

(TV Host, Author, DIY Expert)

“The city is like a great house, and the house in its turn a small city.” ~ Leon Battista Alberti--Renaissance Architect and Philosopher

Tuscany in the desert, Sanders Family Winery, 3780 E. Kellogg Rd.,

Pahrump NV 89061


tional Wine Awards! It’s also home to

Symphony’s Restaurant— an “upscale

casual” restaurant named after its

gold medal winning wine of the same

name.

Eleven years ago Jack Sanders’

began working on his second “grand-

child,” Sanders inery. This

time he designed the winery in the

architectural style of Tuscan Provin-

cial—it’s stunning—and with Mount

Charleston as its backdrop, one can

truly imagine being in Toscana, star-

ing off at the Apennine Mountains.

He grows Petite Sirah and Zinfandel

grapes and produces a variety of

award winning wines, but Sanders

Family Winery is more than a winery

and vineyard. The property hosts a

performing arts center for theatrical

productions, concerts, etc., as well as

weddings and private functions. Daily

wine tastings are educational and en-

tertaining. Sander’s on-site presence,

vast wine knowledge and fun person-

ality play a big part of the winery’s

ambiance. When I prodded him a bit

more about why a winery in the desert

he said, “Grapes have grown here

since the 1800’s…and then there’s

the old Italian wine remedy that says

it takes 100 days of pure sunshine for

grapes to be ready to make wine, and

we sure get that!”

Visitors to the Pahrump winer-

ies grow yearly, from individuals to

tour busses, and shocking to many,

Nevada’s Wine Country has become a

bona-fde winery destination!

Another growing wine trend in

Southern Nevada is the installation of

home wine cellars. Wine afcionados

recognize the importance of storing

wines in proper conditions, but more

than that, wine cellars are becoming

real focal points in homes. Just like

the high design glass enclosed wine

cellars we see “front of the house” in

hip new restaurants, folks want that

same look in their home.

In an interview with Michael Talk-

ington, District Manager of the Las

Vegas Area for ine Cel-

lar Designs, Talkington confded that

they practically have more home cel-

lars being ordered than they can keep

up with. “Like the wet bars and saunas

of the ‘80s, today homeowners are

looking to add wine cellars to upgrade

the look and value of their house,”

says Talkington. Innovative Wine Cel-

lar Designs opened in 2002 with head-

quarters in Scottsdale, AZ, but with

growing interest from the Vegas area,

it now has a showroom in the Ari-

zona Stone Showroom (4730 Wynn

Road Las Vegas 89103). Locally his

company has installed wine cellars

ranging from a 450-bottle capacity

at $1,500 to a 30,000-bottle at $90K.

These cellars are airtight climate con-

trolled spaces with a wide selection of

styles and designs. It’s a soup-to-nuts

company, taking you from design, to

build, installation

and refrigeration

services. Talk-

ington explained

that there are

cellar manage-

ment systems,

(e.g.VinCellar)

that work with

cellars like these.

Once the wines

are scanned into

the system, it can

tell you things

like when bottles

reach their peak

and what foods to

pair them with. It

looks like wine

has come a long

way since the frst

festival honoring

Bacchus, the Ro-

man God of Wine,

coincidentally cel-

ebrated on March

15th and 16th!

While our love for

wine may be rooted in Italy, it’s excit-

ing to know that “all things wine” are

thriving right here in Southern Ne-

vada. Salute e cent’anni!

A seasoned veteran of home improve-

ment, Norma Vally’s media career

boasts four seasons as host of Discov-

ery Home Channel’s Emmy nominated

series Toolbelt Diva and a radio show

on Sirius Satellite by the same name.

Norma is a columnist and author of

the book series Norma Vally’s Fix-

ups; has appeared on Today, NBC

Nightly News, CNN, FOX, MSNBC,

TLC, HGTV, DIY, Hallmark, etc; has

been featured in Women’s Health,

People, Woman’s Day, Glamour, Los

Angeles Times, USA Today, New York

Times, etc. For more about Norma

visit: www.normavally.com or follow

her at: www.facebook.com/NormaVal-

lyToolbeltDiva

29March 2015La Voce

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“If it were easy, there’d already

be a major league team in Las

Vegas. It’s not easy; it takes a lot of

talented people, a lot money and the

commitment of the community; but

it’s worth doing everything that it

takes to make it happen…” --Tony

Guanci. Everyone should have

noticed billboards, TV commercials

(including a spot in the Superbowl

broadcast), signs and the constant

stream of newspaper stories about

the efforts to bring an NHL team to

Las Vegas. And, when one spends

a short amount of time pondering

whether a hockey team will work

in Las Vegas, the answer is clear: of

course it will.

An NHL team in Las egas?

It fts the pattern of Las Vegas his-

tory: doing historic things that oth-

ers said weren’t possible; things like

legalized gaming, Boulder Dam,

Howard Hughes, 25 years of being

the fastest growing major city in the

U.S., buildings that one doesn’t see

anywhere else in the world, a $350

million private redevelopment of

Downtown. Hockey fts the pattern

of brave and talented souls doing

things that others said couldn’t

and shouldn’t be done. Things

that, once completed and once the

amazement and disbelief fades,

everyone agrees results in a life

that is better than it was before that

thing which others said couldn’t

and shouldn’t be done was actually

done.

Any amount of time spent consider-

ing the other 30 NHL teams makes

it clear that Las Vegas has what it

takes to support a team. We easily

hold our own with Phoenix, Florida

(both teams), North Carolina, Nash-

ville, St. Louis, Denver, Minnesota,

Canada (without Toronto), Detroit,

Columbus, Buffalo and Washington.

Perhaps New York, Boston, To-

ronto, New Jersey, Philadelphia and

Chicago have a better claim, but we

have many things that none of the

others have.

e the proverbial

hockey. Virtually everyone who’s

here, moved here from somewhere

else and most of those moved from

an area with a hockey team they

loved. We have people craving

hockey; people wanting to fall in

love with a local team. Hockey

doesn’t have to be developed here:

vegaswantshockey.com!

Second, there’s probably 50

times more people in Las egas

omote events

than any of the other 30 cities.

There’s enough smart, experienced

people in Las Vegas who can make

it easy and fun and important for

people to support our team that new

attendance records will be set.

arena in the League. Period.

more visiting fans (i.e. people

visiting Las Vegas who want to

see their home team play an away

game) than any other team (i.e. a lot

more) because we have 40 million

people who visit us (and who visit

intending to spend money) each

year. Imagine traveling to Las Ve-

gas from Boston (or any of the other

29 cities) for a convention, knowing

that your team is playing our team

[i.e. the Paisano’s (there’s hope)],

and guess what you are going to

treat your clients to? Hockey! Ev-

ery sports fan wants to watch their

team play an away game.

Some people, after reading

a poorly written article in a non-

Review Journal publication, may

have come to the conclusion that,

like major league soccer coming to

town, NHL hockey is dead in Las

Vegas. It’s not dead; it’s not even

wounded. We’ve merely entered

that “it can’t be done, it shouldn’t

be done” phase where those timid

souls, those who know little of

victory or defeat, feel comfort-

able. Those who want to be right

by taking the easy path and then use

their soapbox to persuade others to

follow.

Las Vegas became one of the

world’s seven great cities because

we weren’t interested in listening

to people pointing out how hard it

was, or how risky it was. Las Vegas

became great because people had

the foresight to imagine new things

and the confdence to bring them

into existence.

An NHL team in Las Vegas?

Let’s get it --the NHL will be better

than its ever been before.


Las Vegas

Hockey Update with Tony Guanci[Editor’s note: T -

’


31March 2015La Voce

Las Vegas


News from the Italian American Club


Las Vegas

Planet” The Club is becoming known

nationally for its great dining and en-

tertainment and as a great example of

an Italian American Club. Most of the

credit goes to our members; especially

those who were members in a club

somewhere else. We are a melting pot

of the best of the best clubs all over

the U.S. Because we are in Las Vegas,

we have the unique beneft of having

access to a huge supply of great en-

tertainment, great chefs, great waiters

and access to the fnest assortment of

Italian food available. We are blessed

to be of Italian stock, living in the

right place at this, the right time.

We are the home of the oldest Ital-

ian restaurant in Las Vegas; located in

the same building that our benefactor

Frank Sinatra, his pal Dean Martin,

Jimmy Durante, Perry Como, Rocky

Marciano, Joe DiMaggio and a long

list of famous, infamous and infuen-

tial Italian Americans came to relax.

Dinner at the Club is memorable.

The Club was founded over 54

years ago as a nonproft organization

for local Italian Americans to cel-

ebrate Italian heritage, to help the less

fortunate, to help those moving to Las

Vegas and, most importantly, to have

lots of fun. The Club is still located at

2333 E Sahara (just east of Eastern);

it still offers fabulous Italian cuisine, a

full service bar and live entertainment

Wednesday through Sunday staring at

5 PM.

The Club remains ground-zero

for the Italian American community

in Las Vegas. It continues to shape

Las Vegas and help make it one of the

seven great cities of the world. Be-

cause Las Vegas is visited by almost

40 million people each year, we are

uniquely qualifed to become one of

the nation’s leading voices in the Ital-

ian American community.

Join us. In addition to its being

“the swankiest club on the planet!”

we are like a close-knit family. We

play together in bocce leagues and

golf tournaments; we work together

to create educational scholarships and

activities for the less fortunate.

Message froM President angelo a. Cassaro

Ciao Paesani,

Congratulations to laVoCe on the new forMat. i haVe really been looking forward to seeing this first “new” edition. ed beVilaCqua and the entire laVoCe staff haVe shown their CoMMitMent to growing this italian aMeriCan Magazine and sPread the reader-shiP throughout aMeriCa. now, eaCh Month we reCeiVe la VoCe in the Mail along with our CoPy of our newsletter, Ciao tutti!

i hoPe all of our readers Viewed the Pbs series, “the ital-ian aMeriCans” that was broadCast reCently. thanks in Part to the italian aMeriCan foundation, and the delgrosso faMily, the CoMPelling story so Many of our grandParents faCed; the history, the Challenges, the saCrifiCes, the injustiCes that our faMilies faCed and Conquered, to giVe us the aMeriCan life. the Contri-butions our faMilies gaVe to aMeriCa and the world were Viewed by Millions who May not haVe been aware of this story in our history. this doCuMentary disPels the Myths and stereotyPes Portrayed by hollywood. i knew what My grandParents went through to get to aMeriCa and why they CaMe here. My Mother and father’s faMilies CaMe froM siCily about 1908-1911. i heard so Many dePlorable stories of PoVerty that it took Me 50 years to Visit the Mother Country and PartiCularly siCily. of Course when we did Meet My Cousins in liCata, siCily, i realized, we are all the saMe. we italian aMeriCans, and My italian Cousins are Very Proud of our faMilies and our heritage, as we all should be.

i would guess that feeling of Pride and faMily is a CoMMand-ing reason for the Continued suCCess of our historiCal italian aMeriCan Club. we want, and work at PreserVing MuCh of our CustoMs and heritage and loVe to share with eVeryone and anyone that wants to be inCluded.

i again want to welCoMe our iaC new MeMbers, joe and gaVin Maloof and anthony guanCi, who are the driVing forCe and Co-owners with Majority owner, williaM foley, of the las Vegas nhl hoCkey teaM whiCh we are doing our best to helP beCoMe a reality. thank you for inCluding all of us in the reCruitMent driVe. we are Very exCited to Part of first Professional Major league franChise to CoMe to Vegas. buona fortuna!

look forward to seeing you at the Club.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Club.

Angelo

PS: Condolences to the Jerry Tarkanian family and thanks Coach for the great years of “Runnin’ Rebels”

Our weekly and monthly newsletters

help create a bond between all who

are proud to be Italian. (NOTE: We

also offer memberships for non-Italian

Americans). We are open to the public.

Please go to .iacvegas.com

It is important to maintain that all

of us help maintain our great culture.

There is no better organization than

this Club.


IAC BOCCE LEAGUE starts

March 11 and 12th. 26 teams have

signed up to play Wednesday and

Thursday nights call Armond Merluzzi

@702 367 8373 for info.

Las egas Open Bocce Tour-

nament have 30 teams representing

California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada

and as far as Florida playing round

robin within multi-divisions selected

by blind draw, 4-5 games minimum

per team. The start playing March 21

and 22@ 9am, behind the Club at the

Justice Myron E. Leavitt Park. The

IAC welcomes all the players.

Spirituality for Daily LivingFr. Max Oliva, SJ, is the only Jesuit

in Nevada. He is a Club member, our

weekly electronic newsletter features

an item he’s published. Fr. Max’

family comes from Genoa. Currently

Fr. Max presides over the noon mass

at the Cathedral each Tuesday (the

last Tuesday is focused on Fr. Max’s

mission: ethics in the marketplace).

Fr. Max is an author and group leader.

For more information please visit his

website: http://www.ethicsinthemar-

ketplace.com.

The IAC is sad to announce the pass-

ing of long time member and wonder-

ful lady, Dr. Mary Carol, May she rest

in peace.

MembersEdward Bevilacqua, III

Edward Bevilacqua, Sr

Raymond Broccardo

Salvatore Coco

Nicholas Dambrosio

Loraine Diven

Blanden Ficarratta

Gregory Gemignani

Joseph George

Tony Guanci

Gavin Maloof

Joe Maloof

Dr. Aaron Mancuso

Christopher McCutcheon

George Stathakis

Judy Tarte

Louis Vaccaro

33March 2015La Voce

Las Vegas

ACCOUNTANTCampagna, Frank .......................................................................Campagna and Company

ATTORNEYSGemignani, Greg ..................................................................................... Dickinson WrightGentile, Dominic ................................................................................. Gordon & Silver LtdLozano, Dawn ...........................................................................................Lozano Law FirmRandazza, Marc ...............................................................................Randazza Legal GroupRicciardi, Mark ................................................................................ Fisher & Phillips, LLPScotti, Richard, Judge

AUTOMOBILEMarsh, Jim ...................................................................................................... Jim Marsh KiaMontana, Nick ..............................................................................................Cars Unlimited

BANKINGCiminise, Vincent ..................................................................................... Wells Fargo BankLaiacona, Joseph .................................................................................... City National BankVitale, Peter ................................................................................................Bank of America

CONSTRUCTIONCassaro, Joseph ...............................................................................A.A. Cassaro PlumbingFirmani, John ..........................................................................Mad Dog Heavy Equipment

CONVENIENCE STORECassaro, Angelo ...................................................................................Town Center GrocerMontana, Nick .................................................................................. Town Center Grocery

DISTRIBUTIONRovacchi, Ronald ..............................................................................................SLS Arts Inc.

DRY CLEANING/FUR STORAGEDel Rossi, Dan ............................................................................ Tifany Couture Cleaners

EMPLOYMENT SCREENINGRobusto, Edward.............................................................. Predictive Leadership Solutions

ETIQUETTE CONSULTANTStroppiana, Kay

FINANCIAL ADVISORFred Flihan .......................................................................................................Merrill Lynch

GENERAL CONTRACTORCassaro, Angelo ...................................................................... A. A. Cassaro ConstructionDonofrio, Jim ..................................................................................... Trident Construction

INSTRUCTORSantor, Steven ................................................................................................LeCordon Bleu

INTERIOR DESIGNStroppiana, K ..................................................................................Morning Dove Interiors

LOUNGE & RESTAURANTCassaro, Angelo ..................................................................................Town Center LoungeMontana, Nick .................................................................................. Town Center Lounges

MINI STORAGEDiFrancesco, Louis .......................................................................... Stor-More Self StorageDonofrio, Jim ................................................................................. Stephanie Mini-Storage

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENTSacca, Tony ......................................................................................Entertainment LV StyleTramontana, Michael .................................................................Michael T. Entertainment

PHYSICIANSDiFrancesco, LouisQuagliana, Dr. Joseph ..................................................................Cancer and Hematology

PLUMBINGCassaro, Angelo .............................................................................A. A. Cassaro PlumbingCassaro, Joseph ...............................................................................A.A. Cassaro Plumbing

PSYCHOTHERAPYSantor, Jim ................................................................................. Stress Mgmt Center of NV

REAL ESTATETegano, Tony

TECHNOLOGY SPECIALISTMathews, Frank

TV PROGRAMMING/PRODUCTIONSacca, Tony ......................................................................................Entertainment LV Style

WASTE MANAGEMENTNicci, Peter .....................................................................................................American, Inc.

ADDITIONAL MEMBERGemignani, Angela Gingerelli, George M.Giordano, Brittagna Illia, JohnPizzo, Sam Rulli, JohnList as of 9/14/2014. If you believe your name should be on this list, or if there is an error as-sociated with your listing, please call us at 702-530-1380 and we will try to correct our errors.

www.augustus.orgFEBRUARY 2015

circa

TeAugustus Society

The following is a list of our members and their businesses. These are the people that make our scholarships and aid to those in need possible. Please patronize their businesses, and if you are an Italian-American Professional in Clark County, join our ranks. - Thank you.

Our Members - Te Pillars of the Italian-American Community

Our Mission Statement & AccomplishmentsOur mission is to preserve and promote a positive image of Italian-American’s in Clark County through charitable activities including, providing scholarships to Italian-Amer-ican students with ability and fnancial need, assisting Italian-American families with personal hardships, and contributing to other charitable activities in Clark County.

Since 1983, the Augustus Society has given away almost $800,000 in scholarships and aid to Italian-Americans in need in Clark County Nevada. Te Augustus Society was instrumental in funding the 1st undergraduate Italian Language Course at UNLV beginning in the spring of 2001. Te Augustus Society has helped other charitable organizations in Southern Nevada serve the needs of our community.

Our next meeting will be at the Italian-American Social Club on Sahara on February 25th Dinner is only $25 per person inclusive. Please RSVP by February 20th by calling us at (702) 530-1380 to attend. Please see our web site at www.augustus.org for the meeting date and more information or call us at (702) 530-1380. Tank you.

February Members and Friends Meeting

Favorite EatsRhett Lozano Rice

E Z O I I N B O G E A E A O T U EN G A S A A U A R O T T B T G C RI Z E C O M F U C T A O E F E R AC C N O T I A E O Z A C N Z T I SO B O I E I L T N F E I E G I R OA F F E T T A T I R A M I S U O RO R R S F T M E S T R T A I A O DL A O T B D O P L P S S L A T R LO P T I O I Z L I D T O R A C M ES O E I I E Z O O I N E L L S I RS O B N S O A P R N N E D F I T GO S R N F O R M A G G I O E S C FB R O A O O E C O I N A C I M A RU E S U R O L H C N U L L N F T EC E O R C R L S E P E R C E A N OO N A I G G E R A I R O T T A R TO U P E E E O F L F I A L O I A A

Trattoria ReggianoFerrarososso bucoDinnerLunchcannoliarancinibufala mozzarelleconisliotiramisucrepesformaggiogelatosorbetoagnolottiaffettaticesarepolpette



Las VegasLocation name Location phone

Alberson's 702-735.2135

Angelina's Pizzaria 702-597.9056

Ann Road Animal Hospital 702-5799111

Bambini's Pizzeria & Rotisserie 702-631-3555

Bank Clothiers 702-256-6208

Beach Pizza 702-/255/8646

Benards Bistro 702- 565 1155

Best Billards LV 702-990.0502

big mikes barber shop 702-895.7324

Boulder City Library 702-293-1281

carmines pizza kitchen 702-734.2188

casa di amore 702-433.4967

Clark county library 702-734.7323



Clear Vision Eye Center 702- 636 2020

coachman's inn 702-731.4202

college of southern nevada 702- 651 3000

cork n beans 928-7582009

cork n beans 928-7582009

country financial 702- 263 2934

Courtesy Mazda 702- 242 0265

Crazy pita 702- 896 7482

Cugino's italian deli 702-895.7561

Dairy Queen 702- 737 0700

Dead Poet Bookstore 702-2274070

Dean's Place 702-3878887

demarco's italian restaurant 702-260.8555

desert volkswagon 702-9424000

Doggie District Pet Resort 702-/893/9992

Dr.Rosalynd Alatorre, DMD 702-362-9974

Dr.Rosalynd Alatorre, DMD 702-362.9974

Emrys restaurant 702- 5585488

english garden florist 702-740.4770

fast and fresh cleaners 702-735.6860

Four Kegs 702-/870/0225

Fremont Medical Center 702-/655/0550

Gina's Bistro 702-341-1800

gina's bistro 702-3411800

Gina's Bistro 702-341-1800

Giuseppe's Bar & Grill 702-896-7617

Giuseppe's Bar & Grill 702-896-7617

Gomez Denistry 702-253-5359

graphic imaging services inc 702-2223590

Graphic Imaging Services Inc 702-222-3590

Great Buns Bakery 702-8980311

Green Cleaners 702-2709800

Grimaldi's Pizzeria 702-657.9400

Guardian Angel Home Care 702-450-1855

Location name Location phone

Ital Cream 702-873-2214

Ital Stone 702-736-4542

Italian American Club 702-457.3866

Jerry's Barber Shop 702-458.0436

Joe's New York Pizza 702-897.1717

Jos.A. Bank Clothiers 702-256-6208 Juan Arnaldo Oquendo Gomez DDS 702-253-5359

Kabuki 702-733.0066

Karisma Beauty Salon 702-457.5577 las vegas chamber of commerce 702-8708701

Las Vegas Wine Company 702-893-8466 Law Offices of Dawn M.Lozano 702-477-7733

Law offices of fran sorrentino 702-735.1616

Lee's discount liquors 702-/804/0255

Leftys pizza 702-6148575

Little Havana Cafe 702-896.0051

Lombardo Pruduce 702-895-8484

Louis Martillaro Phd.ASSOC. 702-388-9403

Lucio Ristorante 702-207-1008

Luigi's Village Cleaner 702-222-0740

LV Wine Co. 702-893-8466

Mama Depalma 702-8376262

Mark Rich's NY Pizza 702-645-3337

Market Grille Cafe 702-/564/7335

Mastroianni Fashion 702-369-1040

McCarthy&Holthus 702-685-0329

Metro Pizza 702-735.1955

Metro Pizza 702-362-7896

Mezzo Bistro Italiano 702-/944/8880

Milano's Fashion 702-7356866

Milo's Best Cellars Cafe 702-293-9540

Montesano,s Eateria 702-870-3287

Mr.Bills Tabacco 702-271-9771

Munch-A-Sub 702-2711643

Nora's Cuisine 702-365.6713

North End Pizza 702-645-9006 Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church 702-361-6510

Panevine Ristorante 702-222-2400

Pasta Mia West 702-251.8871

Patricia Bellomo Reality 702-373.3788

Urban Nest Realty 702-767.6993

Regency Car Wash 702-944-9774

Robert Giaquinta, DDS 702-227.5850

Rocco's New York Italian Deli 702-254.4777

Rocco's NY Pizza 702-459-2229

Roma Deli & Restaurant 702-871.5577

Location name Location phone

Roma Deli & Restaurant 2 702-228.2264

Roma Garden 702-_873-1348

Russo's Pizza Kitchen 702-937.0197

Sabatino's Pizzeria 702-788-4614

Sakun Thai Cuisine 702-817-3588

Seattle Dan's Pizza & Pasta 702-946.6262

Sergio's Italian Gardens 702-739.1544

Sicilian Caffe 702-458-2004

Sicily's Pizza 702-333.8000

Siena Foods 702-871.8616 Siena Italian Authentic Trattoria 702-307.2177

Sofia's Pizza 702-369.2233

Sonio's Cafe & Rotisserie 702-307.2177

Straight-Up Tans 702-871.8267

strings italian cafe 702-7396400

Style 5 Hair Salon 702-451.5550

Sun Valley Automotive 702-658-1919

the bootlegger bistro 702-7364939

the bridge at paradise valley 702-3696964

The Tap House 702-870.2111

Tiffany Couture Cleaners 702-982-2291

tiffany couture cleaners 702-7350186

Tony's Pizza 702-294-0023

Torrey Pines Pub 702-648-7775

Town Center Lounge 1 702-396-8200

Trident Construction 702-3684848

tropicana dental 702-4340725

UMC Hospital 702-383-2090

UNLV student services 702-2035255

Urban Ranch general stoe 702-386.2601

Verrazanos 702-8360606

Verrazano's Pizza 702-363.1090

Villa Pizza 702-878.7889

Villa Pizza 702-368.0368

Vitos Pizza 928-7589400


35March 2015La Voce

Las Vegas


Christina was born and

raised in Las Vegas. She gradu-

ated from Bishop Gorman High

School and then Art Institute of

Las Vegas with a B.S. in Graph-

ic Design. Christina works at a

local design frm and has a select

group of clients. Like her family,

she’s proud of her Italian heri-

tage.

Christina says, “Now I am de-

lighted to be a member of the La

Voce team look forward to doing

whatever I can to help with La

Voce’s next generation. I am ex-

cited to see what this generation

can bring to the magazine and

our Italian community across the

country.

Christina has created the cover

for the upcoming April issue of

the new La Voce magazine

Christina Cassaro, Graphic De-

signer

7023794567, christina@lavoce-

publishing.com


Las Vegas

Favorite EatsRhett Lozano Rice

E Z O I I N B O G E A E A O T U EN G A S A A U A R O T T B T G C RI Z E C O M F U C T A O E F E R AC C N O T I A E O Z A C N Z T I SO B O I E I L T N F E I E G I R OA F F E T T A T I R A M I S U O RO R R S F T M E S T R T A I A O DL A O T B D O P L P S S L A T R LO P T I O I Z L I D T O R A C M ES O E I I E Z O O I N E L L S I RS O B N S O A P R N N E D F I T GO S R N F O R M A G G I O E S C FB R O A O O E C O I N A C I M A RU E S U R O L H C N U L L N F T EC E O R C R L S E P E R C E A N OO N A I G G E R A I R O T T A R TO U P E E E O F L F I A L O I A A

Trattoria ReggianoFerrarososso bucoDinnerLunchcannoliarancinibufala mozzarelleconisliotiramisucrepesformaggiogelatosorbetoagnolottiaffettaticesarepolpette

Graphic Artists:

Christina Cassaro


la voce march 2015

Documents

la vocepublisherdominic

template copy copy

vocedepartments4 copy

gentile esq

online publication

monthly byla voce publishing

voce publishing company

postal money order